Abortion is at the center of a high-stakes Georgia Supreme Court race that pits a Republican-appointed judge against a former Democratic lawmaker seeking a political comeback.
Former Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.) has made abortion a centerpiece of his campaign against Gov. Brian Kemp (R) appointee Judge Andrew Pinson, who once clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Barrow pointed to Pinson’s record on abortion, including defending Georgia’s six-week abortion ban as attorney general even before Roe v. Wade. Wade to be overturned, based on an issue that has strengthened Democrats from coast to coast since Thomas and a conservative majority in 2022 overturned the historic decision.
“I’m running for the Georgia Supreme Court because I believe women today have the same rights under the state constitution that they used to have under Roe vs. Wade. Wade, before he was overruled with the help of my opponent, and that’s why I’m running and that’s why I’m running against him,” Barrow told The Hill in an interview.
Pinson alleged that Barrow is “running a hyperpartisan campaign based on a promise to defy the judicial oath,” while some Republicans argue that Barrow’s judicial campaign better resembles a congressional campaign. Party members say the Democratic candidate should not take specific positions.
“I just don’t think if you’re running for the Supreme Court, you should state any specific positions… because if you’re elected, it’s going to be difficult for you to be viewed objectively,” the Republican strategist said. Eric J. Tanenblatt.
On her campaign website, Barrow says she is running because “we need justices on the Georgia Supreme Court who will protect the rights of women and their families to make the most personal family and health decisions they will ever make.” He also stated that the Georgia state constitution protects the right to abortion.
In the interview with The Hill, Barrow, who served five terms in Congress before his 2014 defeat, noted Pinson’s connection to Thomas and that he was once a member of the Federalist Society, the conservative group that supported presidential candidates to nominate conservative jurists. .
He also criticized Pinson on the issue, arguing that the sitting judge cannot be trusted to protect the rights of women and families in making personal decisions about family and health care.
“He has the strongest track record on the subject. [of abortion]I think it’s the biggest concern for the most people and I think it’s going to have the biggest impact on the direction of Georgia law,” Barrow said in explaining why he chose to challenge Pinson specifically.
Four of Georgia’s nine Supreme Court justices are on the ballot Tuesday, but only Pinson faces an opponent in nonpartisan races.
Pinson bristled at the way Barrow described his background.
“I can tell you from the beginning, obviously, that my opponent misrepresented my record on a lot of things,” Pinson said. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution “Politically Georgia” podcast earlier this month.
Pinson highlighted on the podcast that his campaign steering committee is bipartisan and argued that Georgia judges “are nonpartisan and we take our oath very seriously to approach these issues and cases with an open mind in every case.”
Pinson’s campaign argued that Barrow is trying to politicize a nonpartisan race and contrary to Georgia’s judicial code of ethics. That code prevents candidates from saying how they would decide issues that the court could potentially address.
“Unfortunately, John Barrow chose to ignore Georgia’s code of judicial ethics. His campaign makes clear that his goal is to negatively politicize legal disputes and destroy Georgians’ trust in fair and impartial courts,” Pinson strategist Heath Garrett told The Hill in an email.
A complaint filed with the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission earlier this month has roiled the dispute. The complaint argued that the Democrat went too far in his comments on abortion as a candidate.
The complaint alleged that Barrow was making compromises on issues that could be brought before the state Supreme Court and “mischaracterized the role of a jurist as one who should (or would, in his case) ‘protect’ selected rights, which is misleading.” , among other concerns.
Barrow filed a lawsuit in response, arguing that the report violated free speech rights. A federal judge dismissed his lawsuit on Thursday — a move that will require him to file a new lawsuit or appeal an existing one,according to the Associated Press.
Some Republicans are skeptical that the abortion issue threatens Pinson.
“I don’t think they are so concerned about this issue that they would remove a sitting Supreme Court justice,” conservative talk radio host and former Kemp aide Martha Zoller said of Georgia voters.
Barrow, for his part, rejected the idea that he is politicizing a judicial race, stating that “it’s a constitutional issue, that’s not politicization.”
Others, like LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Atlanta-based Black Voters Matter Fund, see the situation differently, saying, “Barrow has the courage and clarity to actually respond to what his constituents demand he respond to.”
Although elections for the Georgia Supreme Court are nonpartisan, the Republican Party has largely shaped the makeup of the court. GOP governors chose eight of the court’s nine members.
Once sleepy affairs, judicial elections have gained importance as state Supreme Courts have become the final say on key issues like redistricting and abortion access.
An election for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat last year generated spending of $40 million. A liberal candidate who supported abortion rights won.
Republicans argued that the candidate went too far in supporting abortion rights during the campaign and in calling the state’s legislative maps “rigged.”
The Wisconsin Judicial Commission has dismissed several complaints against liberal judge Janet Protasiewicz. Neither Protasiewicz nor his conservative opponent during the campaign said how they would decide the issues before the state court.
Barrow faces an uphill battle to unseat Pinson. The election is not expected to have a large turnout, and sitting judges also rarely lose re-election.
Many Republicans expect Pinson to easily win re-election next Tuesday. But some Democrats believe Barrow has a chance.
Democratic strategist Amy Morton said polls on the issue show that both men and women surveyed think “Georgia has gone too far” on the abortion issue, which could help Barrow score a victory.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
