[2][3] The first Chief Justice of the Court was Joseph Henry Lumpkin, who was appointed to that position in 1863.

In the state's early days the justice system was set up so that matters of law were settled at a local level with no appellate courts.

[6] This did not last long, however, as the General Assembly (state legislature) repealed that procedure in 1801, referring any arguments then-outstanding back to each county for decision by the local presiding judge.

The confusion produced by contemporary contradictory decisions, everyday increases – property is held and recovered in one part, and lost in another part of the state under like circumstances – rights are asserted and maintained in one circuit, and denied in another, in analogous cases.

[6] Subsequent state constitutions and amendments have modified the composition and practice of the court.

The 1865 Constitution, following the American Civil War, ended the practice of circuit-riding by providing that the court would sit in the state capital (today, Atlanta).

The current state constitution authorizes up to nine justices, and the eighth and ninth seats were created by the Appellate Jurisdiction Reform Act in 2016.

[6] The supreme court was originally housed in room 341 on the third floor of the Georgia State Capitol.

[7] On Dec. 6, 2019, the supreme court moved into the Nathan Deal Judicial Center at 330 Capitol Ave.

[9] The Supreme Court of Georgia has the right and authority over every case that involves the review of select appellate jurisdiction.

Courtroom security is provided by the Capitol Police Division of the Georgia Department of Public Safety.