Atlanta, March 1, 2017 – Judge Stephen Louis A. Dillard of the Court of Appeals of Georgia has been designated to serve in place of Justice Britt C. Grant in the appeal of Ga. Motor Trucking Assn. et al. v. Ga. Dept. of Revenue et al. (S17A0430). The Supreme Court of Georgia will hear arguments in the case on Monday, March 6 during its 2:00 P.M. session. In this Fulton County appeal, the Trucking Association is appealing the dismissal of its lawsuit challenging a statute that allows the revenue from local motor fuel taxes to be spent on things other than “public roads and bridges.” In addition to hearing arguments, Judge Dillard will participate in the Court’s decision.
Judge Dillard, 47, was appointed as the 73rd judge of the Court of Appeals of Georgia by Gov. Sonny Perdue on Nov. 1, 2010. He was then elected by his fellow Georgians in 2012 to serve a full six-year term on the Court. Presiding Judge Dillard is currently serving as the vice chief of the Court of Appeals.
Presiding Judge Dillard received his B.A. from Samford University in 1992 and his law degree (with honors) from the Mississippi College School of Law in 1996. After graduating from law school, he became an associate at the Macon law firm of Stone & Baxter, where he practiced from 1996 until 2001. From 2001 to 2003, he served as a law clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit for Judge Daniel A. Manion. He then joined James Bates Pope & Spivey at the conclusion of his clerkship, serving as chairman of the firm’s appellate practice group.
In 2016, Presiding Judge Dillard was named Samford University’s “Featured Alumnus” for the Howard College of Arts and Sciences. In 2015, he was appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal to serve on the Georgia Appellate Jurisdiction Review Commission.
Presiding Judge Dillard resides in Macon with his wife and three children. He is an active parishioner of Saint Joseph Catholic Church.
(Designated judges are appointed when a justice must recuse himself or herself from a particular case. The Supreme Court of Georgia maintains a list of judges from around the state and when the need arises, the Court appoints the next judge on the list.)