Justice Andrew Pinson defeated former Democratic Rep. John Barrow in Tuesday’s NBC News draft. Supreme Court of Georgia A race where Barrow is trying to focus on abortion rights.
Pinson, who received 63% of the vote, advanced from 56% to 44%.
Pinson, 37, who was appointed to the high court in 2022 by GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, will now serve a six-year term.
Barrow, 69, who served in Congress from 2005 to 2015, was seeking to become the first candidate since 1922 to be removed as a state Supreme Court justice. Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Georgia’s Supreme Court is technically nonpartisan, and candidates do not run on a party ticket. But Barrow ruled in Roe v. United States Supreme Court. For nearly two years after he overruled Wade, he tried to capitalize on the political momentum in favor of Democratic and liberal candidates. He said he was interpreting the state constitution to grant abortion rights, while Pinson argued that he and Barrow should not address the broader issue because it is a partisan issue.
Georgia passed a so-called heartbeat bill in 2019 that would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be about six weeks, or before many women know they are pregnant. The bill took effect after Roe was overturned in 2022.
Barrow accused Pinson, then Georgia’s attorney general, of supporting the case that led to Roe’s firing.
The Georgia Commission on Judicial Qualifications, a state agency that investigates potential violations by judges and judicial candidates in Georgia, has alleged that Barrow violated ethics rules by discussing abortion rights as part of his campaign. Judicial ethics rules in the state prohibit candidates from telling or suggesting how they will vote on issues that could come before the court. Barrow filed his complaint with the court dropped but last week A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Kemp’s political action committee spent $500,000 on the race to boost Pinson once it became clear the race was competitive.
Pinson’s victory means eight of the nine justices on the court will continue to be appointed by Republican governors. The other three judges on the court, who were elected to new six-year terms on Tuesday, ran unopposed.
Associated Press contributed.