Jeff Davis for Court of Appeals

“I am running for the Court of Appeals because I believe that Georgians deserve to have a judge on the court who will faithfully uphold the rule of law and will decide cases fairly, without fear or favor. Experience matters. Anyone seeking to serve on the appellate courts of this State should have experience practicing appellate law. If elected, I promise to Georgians that I will make decisions based upon the law as it is written, and I will serve with integrity.”

– Jeff Davis

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Meet Jeff Davis

Jeff Davis is uniquely equipped to serve as a Court of Appeals judge, having represented clients in the municipal, magistrate, probate, juvenile, state, and superior courts in counties all over our state.

Jeff brings decades of experience as a prosecutor, civil litigator, criminal defense attorney, and ethics expert to his bid for the Court of Appeals, having handled numerous cases in the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Georgia.  

Jeff began his legal career serving as Assistant General Counsel with the State Bar of Georgia, prosecuting lawyers who violated the ethics rules and monitoring and prosecuting the unauthorized practice of law.  

In the mid-90s Jeff was named Real Estate Counsel for Caribou Coffee Company, the nation’s second largest specialty coffee retailer. In this role, Jeff oversaw Caribou Coffee’s first expansion from its Minneapolis headquarters into the Atlanta market. This provided Jeff first-hand experience navigating regulatory considerations that must be addressed when growing a business. 

In 2000, Jeff moved with his family to Madison, Georgia, where he “hung out his shingle” across from the Morgan County courthouse, becoming a small-town lawyer who represented clients across the legal spectrum.

Jeff fondly recalls those days when he represented anyone who walked through the door, regardless of their ability to pay. Jeff never turned away a client who needed help – especially women who found themselves in abusive situations and needed the protection of the legal system to feel safe and to begin rebuilding their lives.

In 2010, Jeff was chosen as Director of the Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC), where he served until 2014. While Jeff was Director, the agency received the prestigious First Amendment Foundation Freedom of Information Award for the JQC’s efforts to protect and ensure public access to courtrooms and court records.

As JQC Director, Jeff oversaw an unprecedented number of investigations and prosecutions of unethical judges, and during his tenure more than 50 judges either resigned or were removed from judicial office for misconduct.

In 2014, Jeff returned to the State Bar of Georgia as Executive Director, continuing his public service and commitment to ethics and personal accountability for licensed attorneys. Here, Jeff helped monitor the ethical conduct of more than 53,000 attorneys.

Since 2021, Jeff has maintained a general civil and criminal practice and consults with other lawyers and government entities on both legal and judicial ethics issues.

Jeff has actively served within the faith community. Following his ordination as an elder in the Presbyterian church, Jeff enrolled in seminary and completed a Master of Theological Studies degree at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, while maintaining a full-time law practice. In 2007, Jeff was ordained into the ministry and began serving as a pastor, a passion he continued for more than seven years. He later founded the Gathering Madison Fund, which continues to provide financial support to the local food bank, as well as the Boys and Girls Clubs of Morgan County.

Jeff and his wife, Mary Beth, each have three sons who keep their lives very full.

Jeff’s Priorities for the Georgia Court of Appeals

Upholding the Rule of Law

I believe in the independence of the judiciary and upholding the rule of law. I believe in the separation of powers, and that judges perform a very important, but limited role, in our state government. A judge’s role is to interpret the laws as they are written and to apply them to the facts of the case before them.

Fairness Under the Law

I believe that judges should decide cases fairly and impartially, without fear or favor, and without regard to gender, race or religion. As a Court of Appeals judge, I promise to serve with integrity. I will faithfully interpret and uphold both the Georgia and the U.S. Constitution.

APPELLATE LAW EXPERIENCE

A judge on the Court of Appeals hears a wide array of cases involving civil and criminal law, all of which I have handled as a lawyer. It is important, too, that a Court of Appeals judge has appellate experience, and I have handled numerous cases before the Court of Appeals.

I have devoted my legal career to public service. Promoting ethics and professionalism in the practice of law and the judicial system has been the cornerstone of my practice. I am running for the Court of Appeals to continue my service to the people of Georgia with three guiding principles: Justice. Integrity. Fairness.