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Georgia legal community mourns loss of Judge Michael Baird
Oct 7, 2025, 14:44
by
Ashley Stollar
The Eatonton Messenger
Clayton News, Jonesboro
To the Editor:
On behalf of the State Bar of Georgia, I am writing to extend condolences to the family, colleagues and many friends of longtime Georgia attorney and judge Michael P. Baird of Eatonton on his recent, untimely passing.
A former police officer, Judge Baird earned his law degree and became a member of the Georgia Bar in 1992. He began his legal career by opening a general practice firm in Morrow and, the following year, joined the Clayton County Solicitor’s Office. In 1996, he was elected as chief judge of the Jonesboro Magistrate Court, serving through 2004. He then served as a judge for the Jonesboro Municipal Court before accepting a senior district attorney position in the Appalachian Judicial Circuit in north Georgia.
In 2009, Judge Baird was appointed as an immigration judge with the U.S. Department of Justice and, starting in 2020, served the remainder of his judicial career as an appellate immigration judge on the Board Immigration Appeals.
Judge Michael Baird will be missed and fondly remembered by his fellow members of Georgia’s legal community. We appreciate his dedication and the many contributions he made through his service to the public and the justice system.
Sincerely,
Christopher P. Twyman
President, State Bar of Georgia
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