Two Georgia Supreme Court justices fended off challenges on Tuesday from left-leaning opponents who had mounted well-financed campaigns that had the support of prominent Democrats and infused divisive political themes, like abortion rights, into what is typically a subdued election.
Elections for the State Supreme Court are officially nonpartisan, yet the race has been a reflection of how the judiciary in Georgia — and across the country — has increasingly been drawn into the political fray.
Sarah Hawkins Warren, an incumbent justice, withstood a challenge from Jen Jordan, a Democratic state senator who has described herself as a champion for reproductive freedom. Justice Warren had been appointed to the court by Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, in 2018 and was elected in 2020 to a six-year term.
Charles J. Bethel, a justice who had also been appointed by Mr. Deal in 2018 and elected two years later, beat Miracle Rankin, a personal injury lawyer who had similarly signaled her support for abortion access.
A third justice, Ben Land, who had been appointed to the court last year by Gov. Brian Kemp to serve the remainder of his predecessor’s term, ran uncontested. Eight of the nine justices on the court had been appointed by Republican governors.
The high-profile challengers, who ran overlapping campaigns, lifted races that typically draw little notice into two of the most closely watched lines on the ballot this year. Ms. Jordan and Ms. Rankin had the endorsements of former President Barack Obama and the Democratic presidential nominee in 2024, Kamala Harris, as well as the backing of national organizations focused on bolstering abortion access.
Ms. Jordan and Ms. Rankin were recently admonished by the state committee overseeing judicial elections. The committee accused them of violating elections rules by campaigning together, which constitutes an endorsement candidates in the race are not allowed to make, and by indicating their support of abortion rights, even though they are prohibited from publicly weighing in on matters that might come before the court.
Rick Rojas is the Atlanta bureau chief for The Times, leading coverage of the South.
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