The2024 Georgia judicial elections were held on May 21, 2024 on fourSupreme Court of Georgia seats that were up for election for a six-year term. Of these four, only the seat held byAndrew Pinson was contested by formerDemocratic U.S. House memberJohn Barrow. Justices Michael Boggs, John Ellington and Nels Peterson were unopposed for re-election.
Seven seats on theGeorgia Court of Appeals were being up for election on May 21, of these seven, only the seat held by justiceM. Yvette Miller, (who decided not to run for re-election)[1] was contested between Jeff Davis and Tabitha Ponder.[2] Justices Stephen Dillard, Ken Hodges, Benjamin Land, Amanda Mercier, Brian Rickman, and Jeffrey Watkins were unopposed for re-election.
Since 1896, justices on the Supreme Court and judges on the Court of Appeals have been directly elected in statewide elections. Judicial elections were madenon-partisan in 1983. Elections for nonpartisan state judgeships have been held on the date of the legislative primary since 2012, and were previously held on the general election ballot in November during even-numbered years.
JusticeM. Yvette Miller, who was appointed in 1999 byDemocratic governorRoy Barnes retired, which made the seat open.[3] Conservative candidate Jeff Davis defeated liberal candidate Tabitha Ponder with 57.0% of the vote.[4]
Pinson performed very well statewide, most notably inMetro Atlanta, while Barrow performed well inGeorgia's 12th congressional district, where he used to represent in theHouse of Representatives. Despite the margin, the result was the most competitive two-way election for Supreme Court since 2020, when incumbentCharlie Bethel defeatedBeth Beskin 52.2 to 47.8, as well as the second most competitive since judicial elections made nonpartisan in 1983.
John Barrow previously campaigned in 2019 and 2020 to succeed retiring justiceRobert Benham, but the election was canceled by Kemp's appointment ofCarla Wong McMillian to fill Benham's remaining term. Barrow also campaigned to succeedKeith R. Blackwell in 2020, but that election was similarly cancelled by Kemp's appointment ofShawn Ellen LaGrua, and again with the appointment ofVerda Colvin to succeed retiring justiceHarold Melton in 2021.[19] Finally, in 2022, Kemp cancelled a potential election by appointing Pinson to succeed Nahmias.[20][21] Barrow, along with fellow candidate Beth Beskin, unsuccessfully sued in state court to challenge the law allowing for cancellations of judicial elections following the appointment of LaGrua.[22]
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