By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JUNE 8, 2021 | The 2022 political year will be important for several reasons.
There’s both a governor’s race, and a full term U.S. Senate race.- All statewide elected officials will be on the ballot.
- The legislature, county commission and school board boundary lines will be re-drawn because of reapportionment. This could bring a considerably different make-up of elected officials all around the state.
- In Gwinnett, we will have seven judicial races for Superior and State Courts.
Georgia’s judicial positions are all elected. Often a new judge first comes to office through appointment by the governor, after a judge dies, resigns or is removed from office. However, newly appointed judges must face voters at the end of the term for which they were appointed. Judgeships are for four year terms.
Of the 11 Gwinnett Superior Court judges, five are up for re-election in 2022. These judges, in order of seniority, are Chief Judge George Hutchinson, and Judges Tim Hamil, Tracey Mason, Tracie Cason, and Angela Duncan, who was recently appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp. One person, Karen Scott Green, an African American female, has already announced via social media that she will be running for a Superior Court position, though she has not said which seat she will seek. All the sitting Superior Court judges are white.
On the State Court side, there are six judgeships, with Pam South being the chief state court judge. Judge South has said that she will not seek re-election, so her position will be an open seat in the 2022 election. The only State Court judge to face re-election is Ronda Colvin Leary.
Qualifying for these court positions will begin March 7 and close on March 11, 2022. Essentially, few judicial candidates qualify at the last moment. Most plan way ahead when running and announce well in advance of qualifying.
Here’s one angle in our statewide court system we once again present, one which annoys us.
Elections for all courts in Georgia are held when the fewest number of people vote. That’s because Georgia judicial election law, as written by our Legislature, requires that these elections be held during the Georgia primary election, not at the General Election. And if a person does not get a clear majority in the primary election, a run-off is held shortly after the primary.
Historically, more people vote year after year in the General Election than in the primary. To us that means that fewer voters determine who sits as judges in Georgia, than it would if the judges’ elections were held during the General Election in November. It was none other than Abraham Lincoln who gave us guidance on this when he said, “Trust the people.” Would not the determination for judges be better served if Georgians elected judges when the most people voted, such as Lincoln directed?
That’s why we have previously listed and continue to list as one of Gwinnett Forums Continuing Objectives this phrase in each issue of GwinnettForum: “Move statewide non-partisan judge elections to the General Election.”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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