For Michael P. Boggs, a career in law was a way to honor his father and serve the public. The 1990 graduate of Mercer Law School has maintained this focus throughout his legal career, now serving as chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court.
Raised in Waycross, Boggs gained early exposure to the legal field through his father's work with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He also observed trial lawyers while accompanying his father to federal court cases in south Georgia. These experiences, along with advice from an FBI agent neighbor about the advantages of a law degree, influenced Boggs's decision to pursue law school.
“We didn’t have lawyers in the family, and we didn’t come from the means that you would expect to send somebody to law school,” Boggs said. “So for me, it was really about trying to emulate somebody I respected in my dad and wanting to do something like what he did."
Boggs earned a bachelor's degree in political science and psychology from Georgia Southern College (now Georgia Southern University) but delayed attending law school after his father's death at age 47. During this time, he worked as a legislative aide for Georgia Congressman J. Roy Rowland in Washington, D.C., where he realized how a law degree could facilitate a career in public service.
Choosing Mercer Law School due to its reputation for producing practice-ready lawyers and its proximity to home, Boggs found the academic rigor challenging yet rewarding. "The academic rigor was a change for me that really helped me grow professionally," he said.
After obtaining his Juris Doctor degree in 1990, Boggs practiced general law in Atlanta before returning to Waycross. He served as county attorney, special assistant attorney general, and development authority counsel.
In 2001, Boggs was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives and later became a Superior Court judge for the Waycross Judicial Circuit in 2004. As judge, he established a drug court program providing treatment for non-violent substance abuse offenders—one of his proudest achievements.
Appointed by then-Governor Nathan Deal to the Georgia Court of Appeals in 2012 and later the Georgia Supreme Court in 2016, Boggs was re-elected twice before becoming chief justice in 2022.
“This idea of blooming where you’re planted is something that I’ve thought about a lot in my life," he said. "I’ve been pleased to have been engaged in some work that has been transformational."
Boggs has focused on criminal justice reform and issues related to substance abuse and behavioral health disorders. He chairs both the Mental Health Courts and Corrections subcommittee for Georgia’s Behavioral Health Reform Commission and the Judicial Council of Georgia.
Nationally, he works on judicial security initiatives and regulatory reforms aimed at improving legal access. Recognized among Georgia Trend’s “Most Influential Georgians” for 2025, Boggs acknowledges colleagues who have shaped his direction as chief justice: “With the privilege of practicing law comes the obligation to help others."
He expresses pride in state courts' commitment to supporting important causes while emphasizing an independent judiciary's role: "It’s vital that these initiatives have staying power."
Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs is featured among notable Mercerians in Mercer Illustrated: The Places, People, and Experiences of a Uniquely Impactful University—a book available through Mercer University Press.