Stephen R. Yekel (Effingham County State Court, Georgia, candidate 2024)
Stephen R. Yekel (also known as Steve) ran for re-election for judge of the Effingham County State Court in Georgia. Yekel was on the ballot in the general runoff election on June 18, 2024.[source]
[1]
Click here to learn more about Yekel's 2022 campaign.
On December 31, 2024, Yekel was found deceased at the Effingham County Courthouse.[2] For more information on this story, please click here.
Biography
Yekel attended Gordon Military College and Auburn University before graduating with a law degree from Atlanta Law School.[3] He was admitted to the Georgia state bar in 1976.[4] Yekel's professional experience included operating a private law firm between 1980 and 2005, serving as an investigator with Georgia's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Unit, and working as a special agent for the Cobb County District Attorney's Office.[3] In addition, he served as judge pro tem for Chatham County Recorder’s Court (1993-2005) and Chatham County Juvenile Court (2000-2005).[3]
Elections
Election results
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Yekel in this election.
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Stephen R. Yekel did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
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You can ask Stephen R. Yekel to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing steveyekelforstatecourtjudge@gmail.com.
Noteworthy events
Death 2024
Yekel was found dead in the Effingham County Courthouse on December 31, 2024.[2] According to WSAV, he was discovered in a courtroom by a local sheriff's deputy, and his death was presumed to be a suicide.[5] Yekel was appointed as a judge to the Effingham County State Court by Gov. Brian Kemp (R) in June 2022.[5] He ran for re-election to his position in May 2024, but lost in the general runoff election held on June 18, 2024. In a letter dated December 2, 2024, Yekel wrote to Gov. Kemp asking to resign from his position, effective December 30, 2024—one day before his term officially ended on December 31. This request was denied. The governor's office made no official comment on the investigation into Yekel's death but said, in part, "Judge Yekel’s family and loved ones are in all our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."[4]
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ [Email from Georgia Secretary of State Election office, "Candidate list," March 12, 2024]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 NBC News, "Georgia judge is found dead in courtroom on his final day on the bench," December 31, 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Effingham Herald, "STATE COURT JUDGE CANDIDATE PROFILE: Steve Yekel," April 27, 2022
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedNBC - ↑ 5.0 5.1 WSAV, "Effingham County judge takes own life in courtroom," December 31, 2024
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