Republicans scored a major victory Tuesday night in Georgia after conservative-backed incumbents held onto two critical seats on the state Supreme Court, defeating Democrat-backed challengers in races that quickly became national political battlegrounds despite technically being “nonpartisan” elections. Apparently in modern politics, the word nonpartisan now means “everybody campaigns like it’s a Senate race but without the campaign music.”
Justice Sarah Hawkins Warren defeated former state senator Jen Jordan, while Justice Charlie Bethel turned back attorney Miracle Rankin. Meanwhile, Justice Benjamin Land cruised through reelection unopposed.
The results were closely watched nationwide because state supreme courts have become ground zero for major political and legal fights after years of federal court battles reshaping the country. Questions involving abortion, election law, environmental regulations, and redistricting are increasingly landing in state courts, making judicial races far more important than they used to be. Voters who once ignored these elections are now realizing judges can shape policy almost as much as governors or legislators.
Democrats poured major energy into the races, bringing in endorsements from former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris. That alone pretty much destroyed the illusion these contests were purely about neutral judicial philosophy.
Republicans pushed back aggressively. Brian Kemp warned voters that Democrats were attempting to politicize Georgia’s judiciary and transform the court into another ideological battlefield. Kemp argued the incumbent justices respected the law rather than trying to legislate from the bench, which remains a major issue for conservative voters frustrated with activist judges nationwide.
The abortion issue hung heavily over the races. Warren and Bethel were part of the Georgia Supreme Court majority that reinstated the state’s six-week abortion law in 2024 after a lower court judge ruled it unconstitutional. Jordan had previously opposed the law during her time in the Georgia Senate, making abortion rights one of the defining campaign issues despite judicial candidates traditionally avoiding policy pledges.
Things became even messier Monday when Georgia’s Judicial Qualifications Commission announced that Jordan and Rankin violated judicial conduct rules by endorsing one another and campaigning on restoring abortion rights. The commission argued judicial candidates cannot publicly commit themselves to positions on issues likely to appear before the court.
Jordan blasted the complaint, arguing voters deserve to know candidates’ values. Rankin claimed the investigation violated her First Amendment rights.
That debate probably tells voters everything they need to know about where these races were heading. Democrats wanted ideological court campaigns. Republicans wanted judicial restraint and constitutional interpretation. Tuesday night, Georgia voters made their choice pretty clear.
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