"Dystopian" Loophole for Georgia Judicial Elections Gives Brian Kemp the Last Laugh
Tweet text:
Taniel
@Taniel
There's a WILD situation in Georgia, where judges at risk of losing an election can say they're resigning many months from nowand that cancels the election, pulls the rug out from challengers, & allows the Gov to install a justice while skipping voters!
boltsmag.org
"Dystopian" Loophole for Georgia Judicial Elections Gives Brian Kemp the Last Laugh - Bolts
The governors supreme court appointees are coasting in this years elections, despite a 2020 legal brawl over their selection that had promised increased visibility for the court.
4:16 PM · Mar 21, 2022
https://boltsmag.org/dystopian-loophole-for-judicial-elections-gives-brian-kemp-the-last-laugh/
Georgia Democrats had an unusually strong candidate for state supreme court two years ago. John Barrow, who had served ten years in Congress and was narrowly defeated in the 2018 secretary of state race, was seeking statewide office again, this time as a high court judge. But Republican officials effectively canceled elections for the two seats he declared for, exploiting a legal loophole to keep those seats off the ballot until 2022. Barrow sued, but courts blessed the delay, allowing Governor Brian Kemp to appoint two new judges, Shawn LaGrua and Carla McMillian, who were gifted two free years on the bench before having to face voters.
Kemps win seemed only temporary since these appointees have to face voters in 2022 to keep their jobs. Yet this spring, as the delayed elections finally occur for both high court seats, LaGrua and McMillian will face zero opposition because nobody filed to run against them by the March 11 deadline. They are now guaranteed full six-year terms, on a court that has final say on issues ranging from election law to the death penalty.
Barrow says the prospect of experiencing what he went through is chilling potential candidates interest in running.
Anybody who is thinking about running has to run the risk that they pull out the rug from under you, he told Bolts.
Andrew Fleischman, a criminal defense attorney in Atlanta, says he has also observed this fear. People are reluctant to run because you can be ahead and still have your election canceled, Fleischman told Bolts. Imagine putting your families through that, taking time off, being on track to winning, and the governor can just stop you whenever he feels like it.
*snip*