Georgia judicial elections, 2014

Georgia's results

The retirement of Judge Frank D. Horkan left an open seat before the election and offered an opportunity for three candidates to run for the judgeship. Georgia's Southern Judicial Circuit is composed of five counties. Candidate Brian McDaniel was able to win majorities in four of them to win the election outright, without needing a runoff.^[9] In Georgia, a candidate must carry at least a simple majority (50 percent plus one vote) to win an election. McDaniel received 50.21 percent of the circuit. A total of 16,890 votes were cast in the election, 8,480 of which were for McDaniel. McDaniel won by 70 votes.^[9][10]

Meng Lim received the most votes out of the four candidates running for the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit, but a runoff election was still required. Lim received just under 36 percent of the vote. Lim faced Charles Morris in a runoff during the November general election. Morris received just over 28 percent of the vote. Candidates Vicky Robinson Atkins and Andrew B. Roper, who will not compete in the runoff, received a combined 36.4 percent of the vote.^[9]

Tallapoosa judge race draws multiple candidates

The retirement of Judge Richard C. Sutton sparked a four-way contest for his soon-to-be-vacant seat. Sutton, who had served on the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit for over 14 years, retired on the eve of his fifteenth year on the court. Sutton had been the only judge to hold the seat since the position was created in 2000. He was a private practice attorney for 32 years prior to his appointment.^[11] His possible replacements came from a variety of judicial, public and private law backgrounds. Each contender had experience in both the public and private practice of law, in some capacity.

Candidates qualifying to run included:

• Andrew B. Roper, who serves as a municipal court judge in Cedartown, Georgia. He also owns his own law firm in Cedartown.^[12]

• Vickey Robinson Atkins has a similar background. She's an attorney in private practice, as well as a municipal court judge in Rockmart, Georgia.^[13]

• Charles Morris, a juvenile court judge for both Polk and Haralson counties, also has his own private law practice.^[14]

• The fourth candidate, Meng H. Lim, who ultimately won the race, was an experienced private attorney prior to the election, and he also served as the county attorney in Haralson County.^[15]

Judge retires, three contend for open seat in 2014

A race for Judge James Bodiford's seat on the Cobb Judicial Circuit was up for election in 2014. Bodiford announced he would not be seeking re-election in 2014.^[16] The Seventh District judge had held the post for 20 years, first taking office in 1994.^[17] Bodiford won his most recent election (2010) with nearly 75 percent of the vote, against former challenger Normarene Culver Merritt.^[18] Bodiford stated that he announced his retirement to give potential candidates enough time to prepare their campaigns.^[16] With Bodiford bowing out, three candidates filed to run for the open seat, making it the most contested race of Georgia's nonpartisan superior court elections for 2014. The three qualified candidates were:

• Ann Harris, the winner of the election, previously held Cobb County's senior post as assistant district attorney. She tried rape, murder, human trafficking and armed robbery cases, among other cases in her career.^[19]

• Juanita Pierson Stedman also filed to run for the same office. Stedman is a juvenile court judge in Cobb County, Georgia. She also has experience as a special education teacher, law clerk and owner of a private law practice.^[20]

• Nathan J. Wade is an attorney in the Cobb county area, and he has experience on the bench as an associate judge for the Municipal Court of Marietta, Georgia, and as a pro hac judge on the State Court of Cobb County. Wade has also served as Special Assistant Attorney General.^[21]

Delayed judicial race draws contenders

Georgia holds nonpartisan judicial elections in even-numbered years. In its judicial determination contests, candidates run in an all-versus-all race. A maximum of two winners go to a runoff, if no candidate wins by a simple majority. In the Conasauga Judicial Circuit, three contenders filed to run in the May 20 election. Incumbent Judge David Blevins was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to complete the unexpired term of former Judge Robert Adams, whose term was set to expire in 2012.

Georgia election laws state that an appointee must face re-election in the next general election held at "least six months" after their appointment. Blevins' appointment fell within the six-month window of the 2012 general election, thereby postponing the circuit's election until the 2014 general election.^[22] Entering the race to challenge Blevins was Scott Helton, an assistant district attorney, and Jim Wilbanks, a municipal court judge in Dalton, Georgia. The last judicial election for Adams' seat was in 2008, when Adams sought and won re-election.

Wilbanks, the winner of the election, had experience as a municipal court judge, and had served as a pro tem judge on more than one occasion for the Georgia superior court system. Helton was a law clerk for the Conasauga circuit courts early in his career. Blevins was a private practice attorney before his 2012 appointment.^[23] Wilbanks announced his previous intentions to run in 2012, but was unable to run through the timing of Adams' retirement.

Paulding Superior Court election canceled amid investigation

The Paulding Judicial Circuit in Georgia's Seventh Superior Court District ended up with no candidates on the ballot for the judicial election in 2014.

Elizabeth Osborne Williams originally entered the race for the Seventh Superior Court District seat as a challenger to her father, incumbent Judge James R. Osborne. Osborne, who originally filed for candidacy on the first day of filing, withdrew his candidacy on March 10, 2014, and announced his intent to retire at the end of his term.^[24] Williams was the only candidate that filed for election to replace Osborne, and she filed on the March 7 deadline.

An article in the Columbus Ledger-Inquirer alleged that Judge Obsborne qualified to run only to discourage challengers from filing against his daughter.^[24][25][26] Government agencies charged with election oversight opened investigations into the circumstances. The Judicial Qualifications Commissions of Georgia, a commission with oversight authority pertaining to qualifications, conduct, and ethics of Georgia judges and judicial candidates, agreed not to pursue ethics charges if both Williams and Osborne withdrew their candidacy. Shortly thereafter, Williams withdrew. In a TV interview, Osborne denied any wrongdoing.^[25]

Filing deadline passes, races start to emerge

Two candidates announced their intent to run for Georgia's Brunswick Judicial Circuit. Both candidates were experienced in election politics, and both had ran against each other indirectly for the same position previously. Mary Helen Moses, who ran and lost against the former incumbent judge in 2010, faced incumbent Roger B. Lane, who was appointed to fill the position by Governor Nathan Deal when the elected judge resigned. Lane is a former Georgia state representative, and was appointed mid-term to replace Amanda F. Williams, who was facing discipline from the Judicial Qualifications Commission.^[27]