It has been decades since there has been a contested Georgia Supreme Court seat— but there’s one now and yesterday the Georgia Press Association convention at Jekyll Island heard from candidates Sara Doyle and John Barrow.
John Barrow
Court of Appeals Judge Doyle is running for the seat being vacated by Justice Robert Benham, the court’s longest serving member (since 1989) and its first black justice. Barrow is a former Democratic U.S. congressman who represented sections of east Georgia before being defeated by current U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, R-Augusta. He was also an unsuccessful secretary of state candidate last year.
Doyle was first elected to the appellate court in 2008 and later re-elected in 2014 backed by an odd liberal-conservative political coalition. If she wins a seat on Georgia’s highest court, she would only be the second woman on the nine-justice court. (Justice Sarah Warren, appointed by former Gov. Nathan Deal, is the other).
In fact, Doyle urged her audience of publishers, editors and other journalists to consider voting for her because she’s a female and that the high court could use another female. Doyle said she was disappointed that no other woman opted to offer for the judgeship so she decided to declare her candidacy.
Hon. Sara Doyle
Barrow reminded the convention of his work as a U.S. congressman and declared that he views the U.S. Constitution (and presumably the Georgia Constitution) as “a living document” and that he “evolves” with the law. The veteran attorney also said he doesn’t always agree with “judicial originalists” who believe in the text as originally written by the authors.
When this writer asked Doyle if she agreed with Barrow’s “evolving” remarks, she declined to comment.
This officially non-partisan race will be decided in May 2020 concurrent with statewide primaries.
