Two prominent, left-leaning plaintiff attorneys are trying to achieve the near-impossible and unseat incumbent Georgia Supreme Court justices in nonpartisan races, arguing the state’s highest bench should do more to help the average person at a time when basic rights are being eroded.
The primary role of the court’s nine justices, who have six-year terms, is to determine how the law is applied in Georgia and decide cases accordingly. Research by local litigators suggests there hasn’t been a sitting justice lose reelection in more than 100 years in the state, where an overwhelming lack of opposition in judicial elections is the norm.
Both challenged incumbents, Sarah Hawkins Warren and Charlie Bethel, are largely focusing their campaigns on their experience and the importance of judicial impartiality in their nonpartisan roles.
Their respective challengers, former Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan and Morgan & Morgan trial lawyer Miracle Rankin, argue the court needs to better protect people’s rights when it comes to voting, reproductive freedom and more.
Unlike other primary races, which will go to a general election in November, the court contests will be decided May 19.
Here are the sitting justices and their challengers:
Justice Sarah Hawkins Warren
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Warren was appointed to the state Supreme Court in 2018 by then-Gov. Nathan Deal while serving as Georgia’s solicitor general. She defeated a challenge in 2020 by Hal Moroz, a prosecutor and former county judge.
Before her stint in the Georgia Department of Law began in 2015, Warren was a litigation partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Washington D.C. She was raised in Atlanta, got both her undergraduate and law degrees from Duke University in North Carolina and clerked for two federal judges.
In her campaign, Warren touts the importance of a judiciary separate from other branches of government. She reiterates that judges don’t make the law, but interpret it as written.
“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,” Warren says on her campaign website. “I believe in interpreting the law faithfully, without fear or favor, without bias, and apart from personal opinion.”
Jen Jordan
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
An Atlanta-area plaintiff attorney with her own firm, Jordan was elected to the state Senate in late 2017, became the Democratic nominee for attorney general in 2022 and ended her legislative career in early 2023.
She grew up in Dodge County, attended Georgia Southern University with a HOPE scholarship and got her law degree from the University of Georgia.
As a lawyer and legislator, Jordan has advocated for the rights of everyday Georgians over corporate interests, fighting for air quality and reproductive freedom, among other things. Her campaign centers on the importance of protecting basic voting rights and health care access.
“All of these battles in terms of protecting the individual rights of Georgians are going to be fought at the state level in state courts,” Jordan said during a campaign webinar April 8. “The people on the state Supreme Court really are the last line of defense when it comes to making sure that justice is done and that the rights of the people in this state are protected.”
Justice Charlie Bethel
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Bethel is a former Republican state senator appointed to the state Supreme Court in 2018 by Deal after a two-year stint on the Georgia Court of Appeals. He defeated a challenge in 2020 by Beth Beskin, a former Republican state representative.
Born in Athens, Bethel lives in Dalton, where he was raised. There, he worked as a lawyer and served as a city alderman and in-house counsel for a flooring company. Bethel served in the state Senate from 2011 to 2016, helping pass juvenile justice and autism insurance reforms, among other legislation.
In his campaign material, Bethel says “judges must set aside their personal preferences in deciding each case before them” and “follow the law, even when the outcome may be unpopular.”
Bethel got both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Georgia.
Miracle Rankin
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Rankin is a former president of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys who has spent the bulk of her career representing plaintiffs in injury lawsuits.
A graduate of Spelman College and the University of Georgia School of Law, Rankin has been a practicing attorney in Georgia since 2010. Before joining Morgan & Morgan in early 2022, she was a partner at The CP Law Group in Atlanta and defense counsel for two large insurance companies.
Like Jordan, Rankin is campaigning as an advocate for everyday folks and someone who stands up to corporations. She says the law must be applied equally irrespective of socioeconomic status.
“Corporations, special interests and the most powerful among us don’t have more rights than the average Georgian,” Rankin told reporters April 8. “It’s important that we understand and we know that the highest court in our state is actually on our side.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
