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Georgia Supreme Court elections, 2020
| 2020 State Judicial Elections | |
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The seats of two Georgia Supreme Court justices, Charlie Bethel and Sarah Warren, were up for nonpartisan election on June 9, 2020. Both incumbents won re-election.
Two other seats were also expected to be up for nonpartisan election, but those elections were canceled:
- Justice Robert Benham's term was originally set to expire on December 31, 2020. Benham retired on March 1, 2020, allowing Governor Brian Kemp (R) to appoint a successor. Click here for more information.
- Justice Keith Blackwell's term was originally set to expire on December 31, 2020. Blackwell announced in February that he was retiring on November 18, 2020. The Georgia Supreme Court announced that the governor would appoint Blackwell's replacement. The appointment was challenged in court, and the state supreme court ruled in a 6-2 opinion on May 14 that the secretary of state could not be compelled to hold the election. Click here for more information.
What's at stake?
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, no sitting Georgia Supreme Court justice has lost an election in the 175-year history of the court.[1] In the last two election cycles tracked by Ballotpedia, six seats on the Georgia Supreme Court were up for election. All six of those justices ran unopposed. In 2020, two seats were up for election and both had one challenger.
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Georgia modified its absentee/mail-in voting and candidate filing procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:
- Candidate filing procedures: The petitioning deadline for minor-party and unaffiliated candidates was extended to August 14, 2020. The petition signature requirement for independent and minor-party candidates was reduced to 70 percent of their original numbers.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Candidates and election results
Bethel's seat
General election
General election for Georgia Supreme Court
Incumbent Charlie Bethel defeated Beth Beskin in the general election for Georgia Supreme Court on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Charlie Bethel (Nonpartisan) | 52.2 | 1,098,264 |
 | Beth Beskin (Nonpartisan) | 47.8 | 1,006,065 | |
| Total votes: 2,104,329 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Charlie Bethel has served on the Georgia Supreme Court since 2018. Bethel served as an alderman for the city of Dalton and as a Georgia state senator for three terms. He started his legal career as a law clerk for Judge Charles A. Pannell, Jr., on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.[2]
- From Bethel’s campaign website: “Throughout his years on the bench, Charlie has been faithful both to the law and his oath of office. He understands that judges must set aside their personal preferences in deciding each case before them and that they must follow the law, even when the outcome may be unpopular.”[2]
Beth Beskin is a partner at Freeman, Mathis & Gary. Previously, she was an assistant attorney general for the Georgia Department of Law working in the Medicaid Fraud Division. Baskin also served as a Georgia state representative from 2015 to 2019.[3]
- From Beskin’s campaign website: “Beth will be an independent voice on the Supreme Court. She will stand up for our rights and be tough on crime. With more than three decades of legal experience, Beth will bring a new voice to the court.”[3]
Warren's seat
General election
General election for Georgia Supreme Court
Incumbent Sarah Warren defeated Hal Moroz in the general election for Georgia Supreme Court on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sarah Warren (Nonpartisan) | 78.7 | 1,652,532 |
 | Hal Moroz (Nonpartisan) | 21.3 | 446,026 | |
| Total votes: 2,098,558 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Sarah Warren has served on the Georgia Supreme Court since 2018. Her previous experience includes clerking for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge J.L. Edmondson and U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon and serving as solicitor general under Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr (R). Warren was previously a litigation partner for Kirkland & Ellis LLP. [4]
- From Warren’s campaign website: “I believe in the independence of the judiciary. I believe in the rule of law. I believe in the separation of powers. I believe that judges play a very important – but limited – role in our three-branch system of government, because judges are not executives and they are not legislators.”[4]
Hal Moroz is a legal commentator and author. Previously, he served as a county judge, a city chief judge, an assistant district attorney, and as faculty at Florida Coastal School of Law and at the State Bar of Georgia’s Institute for Continuing Legal Education. Moroz was an officer in the U.S. Army.[5]
- From Moroz’s website: “I am running for this office to further serve my fellow citizens as a Justice on Georgia's highest court, and to reclaim the foundations upon which our great state and country were founded. I support the Constitution as written and a return to common sense in our judiciary. My campaign is based on three foundations ... Experience, Common Sense, and Justice.”[5]
Benham's seat
Justice Robert Benham's term was set to expire on December 31, 2020. As such, his seat was one of four expected to be up for nonpartisan election in 2020.
Benham retired on March 1, 2020. His retirement allowed Gov. Kemp to appoint a successor. The governor appointed Carla W. McMillian on March 27, 2020. McMillian did not need to run for election until 2022.[6][7]
When Benham announced his decision to retire in December 2019, at least four candidates had declared to run for his open seat.
Blackwell's seat
Justice Blackwell announced in February that he was retiring on November 18, 2020. In the announcement, the supreme court said Governor Brian Kemp (R) would appoint Blackwell's replacement.[8]
Former Congressman John Barrow (D) and former state Representative Beth Beskin (R) both planned on filing to run for Blackwell's seat. When Barrow and Beskin showed up to file in March, state officials said the election was no longer taking place. The two candidates filed separate legal challenges in Fulton County Superior Court, asking the judge to order Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) to put the election back on the calendar.[9]
Raffensperger's office said in a letter to Beskin and Barrow, "After speaking with the Attorney General’s office about the situation, our office determined that the most prudent course of action was to cancel qualifying for that seat."[9]
On March 16, 2020, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Emily Richardson ruled Barrow and Beskin did not show they had "a clear right" to require the secretary of state to hold an election. Richardson said Blackwell's seat became vacant the day he submitted his resignation letter and the governor accepted it. Once this happened, she said, the secretary of state was no longer "under a statutory legal duty to hold qualifications for Justice Blackwell's seat."[10]
Barrow and Beskin appealed Judge Richardon's ruling. On May 14, 2020, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled in a 6-2 decision that the governor could appoint a successor and that the secretary of state could not be compelled to hold an election. Presiding Justice David Nahmias wrote for the majority, "Even if Justice Blackwell’s office is not vacant yet, if his accepted resignation will undoubtedly create a vacancy in his office on November 18, his term of office will go with him, and the next six-year term of his office that would begin on January 1, 2021, will never exist."[11]
Ocmulgee Circuit Superior Court Judge Brenda Holbert Trammell dissented, joined by Fayette Circuit Superior Court Judge Scott Ballard. Trammell and Ballard were two of the five justices who replaced sitting justices who had recused themselves. In her dissent, Trammell wrote "an appointment is unlawful in this circumstance."[11]
Click here to read the full opinion.
Past elections
2018
- See also: Georgia Supreme Court elections, 2018
General election
General election for Georgia Supreme Court
Incumbent Harold Melton won election in the general election for Georgia Supreme Court on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Harold Melton (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 894,149 |
| Total votes: 894,149 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for Georgia Supreme Court
John Ellington won election in the general election for Georgia Supreme Court on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John Ellington (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 898,767 |
| Total votes: 898,767 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for Georgia Supreme Court
Incumbent Michael P. Boggs won election in the general election for Georgia Supreme Court on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Michael P. Boggs (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 904,702 |
| Total votes: 904,702 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for Georgia Supreme Court
Incumbent Nels Peterson won election in the general election for Georgia Supreme Court on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Nels Peterson (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 885,265 |
| Total votes: 885,265 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for Georgia Supreme Court
Incumbent Britt Grant won election in the general election for Georgia Supreme Court on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Britt Grant (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 896,313 |
| Total votes: 896,313 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Click [show] at the right to view more past election results. | ||||||||||||||||
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2016
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About the Georgia Supreme Court
- See also: Georgia Supreme Court
The 1983 Georgia Constitution gives the Georgia Supreme Court exclusive appellate jurisdiction over constitutional cases and election contest cases. The court also has general appellate jurisdiction over land title cases, will and equity cases, divorce and alimony cases, certified cases, death penalty cases, and writs of habeas corpus or certiorari. The court may also exercise jurisdiction over Georgia Court of Appeals cases found to be of great public importance.[12]
Political composition
This was the political composition of the supreme court heading into the 2020 election.
| ■ John Ellington | Elected in 2018 | |
| ■ Harold Melton | Appointed by Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) in 2005; elected in 2006 and 2012 | |
| ■ David Nahmias | Appointed by Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) in 2009; elected in 2010 and 2016 | |
| ■ Michael P. Boggs | Appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal (R) in 2016 | |
| ■ Keith Blackwell | Appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal (R) in 2012; elected in 2014 | |
| ■ Nels Peterson | Appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal (R) in 2016 | |
| ■ Sarah Warren | Appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal (R) in 2018 | |
| ■ Charlie Bethel | Appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal (R) in 2018 | |
| ■ Carla W. McMillian | Appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp (R) in 2020 |
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Georgia
There are nine justices on the Georgia Supreme Court, each chosen by popular vote in nonpartisan elections. They serve six-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to retain their seats.[13]
The chief justice is selected by peer vote and serves in that capacity for four years.[13]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Two Georgia Supreme Court justices face election competition," May 19, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Charlie Bethel 2020 campaign website, “Justice Charlie Bethel,” accessed May 27, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Beth Beskin 2020 campaign website, “About Beth Beskin,” accessed May 27, 2020
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sarah Warren 2020 campaign website, “Meet Sarah,” accessed May 27, 2020
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hal Moroz 2020 campaign website, “About Hal Moroz,” accessed May 27, 2020
- ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Justice Benham to retire in March, upending GA Supreme Court race," December 5, 2019
- ↑ Governor Brian Kemp, "Gov. Kemp Names Appointments to Supreme Court of Georgia, Georgia Court of Appeals," March 27, 2020
- ↑ Georgia Supreme Court, "Justice Keith Blackwell to resign in November," February 28, 2020
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 News4jax.com, "Lawsuits: Georgia illegally canceled election to high court," March 6, 2020
- ↑ Law.com, "Judge Affirms Governor's Right to Appoint Justice Blackwell's Replacement," March 16, 2020
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Law.com, "GA Supreme Court Refuses to Compel Election for Justice Blackwell's Seat," May 14, 2020
- ↑ Georgia Supreme Court Official Site
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia," archived October 2, 2014
Federal courts:
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Middle District of Georgia, Northern District of Georgia, Southern District of Georgia • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Middle District of Georgia, Northern District of Georgia, Southern District of Georgia
State courts:
Georgia Supreme Court • Georgia Court of Appeals • Georgia Superior Courts • Georgia State Courts • Georgia Business Court • Georgia Tax Court • Georgia Juvenile Courts • Georgia Probate Courts • Georgia Magistrate Courts • Georgia Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Georgia • Georgia judicial elections • Judicial selection in Georgia
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