Cullman County Circuit Court Judge Greg Nicholas is a life-long resident of Cullman County, Alabama. He graduated from Good Hope High School in 1978, then attended Wallace State Community College before transferring to the University of Alabama where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science in 1982. In 1985 Judge Nicholas received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Alabama School of Law and was admitted to practice law in the State of Alabama later that year.
After graduating from law school, Judge Nicholas worked as a law clerk for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in Montgomery before coming back home to begin a law partnership with the late Senator B. Don Hale in 1986. In January of 2007, Governor Bob Riley appointed Nicholas to serve as Cullman County District Court Judge and he was elected to serve a full six-year term as Cullman County District Court Judge in 2008. While serving as District Court Judge, Nicholas helped start the Cullman Trauma Prevention Program for teens, the Cullman County Drug Court program and he presided over drug court cases from 2008 until he was appointed circuit judge in 2011. In 2008 Nicholas was chosen Judge of the Year for the State of Alabama by the Alabama Child Support Association and in 2009 he was also a winner of the Governor’s Award for his efforts in helping to reduce the littering problem in Alabama. In 2007, Nicholas was also selected Wallace State Alumni of the Year for the academic division. During his tenure as District Judge, Nicholas was elected to the executive committee of the State District Judge’s Association and served as Treasurer of that organization until he was appointed to the Circuit bench.
On May 1, 2011 Judge Nicholas was appointed circuit court judge by Governor Robert Bentley to fill a vacancy created by retirement. Judge Nicholas was elected to a full term as Cullman County Circuit Court judge, place one, in 2012 and again in 2019.
Judge Nicholas is very actively involved in his community and has a strong lifelong commitment to public service. Judge Nicholas has previously served as president of the Cullman County Partnership for Children, chairman of the Board of Directors of Hospice of Cullman, president of the Cullman County Bar Association, chairman of the Board of Directors of the North Central Alabama Substance Abuse Council, vice-president of the Cullman Regional Medical Center Foundation Board, a member of the board of directors for the Cullman United Way, Cullman Caring For Kids, the Cullman Area Mental Health Board and the Alabama Republican Party State Executive Committee. He has served as a member of the Alabama Future of the Courts Commission, a member of the Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution Commission and he presently serves on the executive board of the Alabama Circuit Judge’s Association. In addition, Judge Nicholas has also taught as an adjunct professor at Wallace State Community College, teaching evidence, criminal law and government and he is a frequent speaker at area churches, senior centers and high schools. He has served as the presiding circuit judge of the 32nd Judicial Circuit since January of 2013. Judge Nicholas and his family attend Daystar Church.
Contact Information
County Courthouse, Room 313
500 2nd Avenue SW
Cullman, AL 35055
Phone: (256) 775-4782