David E.Nahmias (Dave)

Partner

Atlanta + 1.404.581.8241 Washington + 1.202.879.3493

David Nahmias — a former Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court and senior U.S. Justice Department official — uses his broad experience and distinguished judgment to counsel organizations and individuals on government and internal investigations, litigation and appeals, and compliance and regulatory matters.

Dave served as a Justice on Georgia's highest court for nearly 13 years. Appointed in 2009, he won two statewide elections to six-year terms. He authored more than 470 published opinions and joined more than 2,700 others while becoming an influential leader in the judiciary. The U.S. Chief Justice appointed Dave to serve on the U.S. Judicial Conference's Advisory Committee on Civil Rules from 2013 to 2018.

After law school, Dave was a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and worked for a large law firm in Washington before serving for almost 15 years in the U.S. Justice Department. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Atlanta, he handled high-profile fraud, public corruption, and terrorism cases and was lead counsel for multiple jury trials. After the 9/11 attacks, Dave worked in the Criminal Division in Washington, including as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General overseeing the Fraud, Counterterrorism, and Appellate Sections.

In 2004, Dave was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia — the chief federal law enforcement official for metropolitan Atlanta and more than six million residents. For almost five years, Dave supervised significant public corruption and corporate, health care, and other fraud cases. He also served on the Attorney General's Advisory Committee (AGAC) and chaired the AGAC's subcommittee on White Collar Crime.

Experience

  • Ray White's wrongful convictions overturned after 25 years of undeserved imprisonmentJones Day attorneys, along with the Georgia Innocence Project and the Mercer Law School Habeas Clinic, represented Ray White in overturning his wrongful convictions in connection with a 1994 attack on a young woman.
  • Additional Speaking Engagements

    • October 28, 2024
      Dialogue with Professor Eric Segall on the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 Term, Bleckley Inn of Court of Georgia State University College of Law
    • June 28, 2024
      Keynoter, Naturalization Ceremony, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
    • February 4, 2024
      Supreme Court Update, panelist, Jones Day Atlanta CLE Academy
    • February 4, 2024
      Expect The Unexpected: Heeding DOJ’s Corporate Compliance and National Security Guidance to Protect Your Company in an Uncertain World, panelist, Jones Day Atlanta CLE Academy
    • November 2, 2023
      The Importance of State Law and State Supreme Courts, Jones Day Cleveland CLE University
    • August 15, 2023
      Conference on Ethics and Professionalism, Keynote Speaker, Georgia State University College of Law
    • February 6, 2023
      Supreme Court Update, panelist, Jones Day Atlanta CLE Academy