Georgia judicial elections, 2012

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Judicial Elections
Judicial elections, 2012
Judicial election dates

The Georgia judicial elections in 2012 followed a different schedule than the elections of 2010. In 2010, judicial candidates participated in both the primary and general elections, but in 2012 candidates ran only in the primary election. Both Republican and Democratic candidates ran in the primary. Where a runoff was required, candidates competed in primary election runoffs.[1][2]

The primary election took place on July 31, 2012.

## Georgia judicial elections summary, 2012

|  |  Supreme  |  Appellate  |  Trial

|
|
|

Total candidates  |  3  |  5 |  154
Unopposed candidates  |  3 |  5 |  119
Judges re-elected |  3 |  5 |  130
Judges not re-elected |  |  |  0
New judges elected |  |  |  5
Partisan or Nonpartisan |  | Nonpartisan |

## Supreme Court[edit]

Candidate| Incumbency| Primary Vote| Election Vote

|
|
|

HunsteinCarol Hunstein A| Yes| | 99% A
MeltonHarold Melton (Georgia) A| Yes| | 99% A
ThompsonHugh Thompson A| Yes| | 99% A

## Court of Appeals[edit]

Candidate| Incumbency| Primary Vote| Election Vote

|
|
|

PhippsHerbert Phipps A| Yes| | 99% A
EllingtonJohn Ellington A| Yes| | 99% A
BoggsMichael P. Boggs A| Yes| | 99% A
DillardStephen Dillard A| Yes| | 99% A
MillerYvette Miller A| Yes| | 99.7% A

## Superior Courts[edit]

For information on the Georgia Superior Courts, visit: Georgia judicial elections, 2012 - Superior Courts.

## In the news[edit]

### Coweta Judicial Circuit race[edit]

As featured in JP Election Brief: Changing the rules in Florida and Nevada (and more!) on April 19, 2012.

Kevin McMurry and Emory Palmer are competing for a seat on the Coweta Judicial Circuit. Both men are area trial lawyers, and have received endorsements from Carroll County attorneys.[3] Carrolton criminal defense attorney Jason Swindle and District Attorney Pete Skandalakis have endorsed McMurry. Carrollton attorney Tommy Greer is backing Palmer.[3]

The men are vying to replace longtime judge Allen B. Keeble, who is retiring in December 2012 at the end of his current term. The race for this seat is a special, nonpartisan race, which will be present on both the Democratic and Republican tickets in the July 31, 2012 primary election.[3]

### Election date debate in Georgia[edit]

As featured in JP Election Brief: Three in the midwest and two in the south on March 8, 2012.

Augusta, Georgia: Augusta officials have expressed opposition to the new date of elections since the passing of House Bill 158 last year, which moved elections from November to July, the previous date of the Georgia general primary.[4][5] The issue, however, seems to be coming to an end. Augusta officials' opposition to the change in dates is based on an exception in the law that allowed them to keep their elections in November, even as the rest of the state was moving to a July election. A bill, introduced by Barbara Sims, would close this exception and standardize the movement of the election date across the state.[5] The bill has already passed the house, and is expected to pass the senate as well.[5]

Augusta officials argue that the July date could advantage Republican candidates and reduce Black voter turnout. Supporters of the change have disputed this claim.[5]

## See also[edit]

* Georgia judicial elections
* News: Supreme Weekly: Election fever - Races in Alabama, Oregon and Georgia, November 3, 2011

## External links[edit]

* Neighbor Newspapers, "2012 Georgia Judicial Elections big," June 1, 2011
* The Florida Times-Union, "Analysis: Georgia judicial elections promise fireworks," June 6, 2011
* Cherokee Tribune, "Judge Gober will not seek re-election," July 26, 2011
* Georgia Secretary of State, Elections Division, Office to be Filled at the November 6, 2012 General Election

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Neighbor Newspapers, "2012 Georgia Judicial Elections big," June 1, 2011
2. ↑ Politics1, Online Guide to Georgia Politics
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Times-Georgian, "2 attorneys running for judge's seat," April 15, 2012 (dead link)
4. ↑ The Augusta Chronicles, "Move fails to reverse Augusta election date," February 27, 2012
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 The Augusta Chronicle, "Augusta statistics show that July elections could favor Republicans," March 4, 2012

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