Abortion rights protesters outside the Nathan Deal Judicial Center in downtown Atlanta in March 2023. The Georgia Supreme Court is located inside the center.
(Matthew Pearson/WABE)
This story has been updated to include the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission’s allegation that candidates Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin violated judicial conduct rules by endorsing each other and running on the issue of restoring abortion rights in Georgia.
On the ballot of every Georgian voting in Tuesday’s primaries and elections are three nonpartisan state Supreme Court races.
These races have seen the endorsements of former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“It’s gonna be about who’s gonna maintain and protect your rights and your freedoms, who’s gonna stand for the rule of law, and there are two candidates who are extraordinary,” Harris said. “Miracle Rankin and Jen Jordan.”
Rankin and Jordan are challenging incumbents Charlie Bethel and Sarah Hawkins Warren, respectively. Both Bethel and Warren were appointed to the court by former Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, and both won re-election in 2020. Bethel’s was a significantly closer race, winning with 52% of the vote.
Republicans are also talking about the race, most notably Gov. Brian Kemp, who is concerned about the early voting lead Democrats have going into Tuesday’s election.
“If you want people that will actually go up there and, you know, not try to interpret what the law is but follow the law and not try to make it, you should vote for our incumbent judges and justices that’s on the ballot,” Kemp told reporters at a campaign event for Senate candidate Derek Dooley on Thursday.
“It’s unfortunate the other side, backed by money that’s from outside of the state, is trying to make a nonpartisan race political. That’s not how our judiciary works in our state. And I would urge people to vote for the incumbents they have bipartisan support, from people that really understand how important it is to have a nonpartisan judiciary,” he added.
Justices, candidates weigh in on partisanship in the races
Incumbent Justice Warren speaks more to that last point as she believes the nonpartisan court is facing a partisan attack.
“I think that’s absolutely critical to instilling confidence in the people of Georgia that their courts are working for them,” she said. “You know, if you have judges who are predetermining outcomes or taking positions on policy issues that are likely to come before the court, I fear there could be a day where Georgians walk into court, knowing that there are judges who have already predetermined outcomes against them. And that just flies in the face of the kind of fairness and impartiality that judges take an oath to preserve.”
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But Jordan says there is a difference between nonpartisan and nonpolitical.
“That does not mean that you can’t talk about your values as a candidate, issues that may have come before the court or might come before the court or your personal beliefs,” she said. “I think as long as you make it clear in terms of … you’re not prejudging an issue or a case.”
“I do think it’s important for voters to have an understanding of who you are and … what are your values, because otherwise how can you make an informed decision?” she added. “And it’s probably even more important in a nonpartisan context, but because our voters don’t even have their normal kind of flags, right, like a … D or an R to tell them, OK, well, well, where is this person ideologically, and what can I expect out of them?”
State Supreme Courts could see environmental regulation, gerrymandering cases
Nationally, state courts have seen issues being pushed down from the federal level, most notably abortion.
As for that issue, advocacy groups on both sides have been backing candidates as well. The key point there is the Georgia Supreme Court’s 2024 decision, which included Bethel and Warren, to put Georgia’s six-week abortion back into effect after a Fulton County judge had ruled it unconstitutional.
As a then-state senator, Jordan was a key opponent of the abortion ban when it was passed by the General Assembly in 2019.
Other issues that that have been dealt with in federal courts that could be seen in state courts include environmental regulations, along with gerrymandering after the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.
The Georgia Supreme Court hears arguments while in session in Atlanta, Georgia, on Dec. 9, 2025. Justices Sarah Hawkins Warren (left) and Charlie Bethel (right) were up for re-election on Tuesday against Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin, respectively. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Rankin talked about her challenge of Bethel.
“There are decisions that have been made by the court that I don’t agree with, in particular by Justice Bethel, and there have been instances where some of the decisions have not been favorable for people of our state, and they’ve been more leaning towards protecting governments or corporate interests,” she said.
Rankin specifically mentioned a March ruling by the Georgia Supreme Court in connection to a lawsuit against the City of Milton on whether it was liable for the death of a driver whose car left the road and hit a large, concrete planter.
Justice Bethel says it is disappointing to see candidates taking positions, while he is not.
“Because I know that folks who are advancing this rhetoric and this policy line know better,” he said. “They know that’s actually not how the judicial branch is supposed to work, so it’s disappointing because you know people that you love and you care about and you see them purposefully misleading people about the process. That’s disappointing.”
“It’s insulting at the personal level because people are saying that you’re a liar. I mean, I took an oath. I took an oath to be impartial, and people are saying, well, you’re not actually doing that,” he added.
As she runs for re-election, Warren is battling breast cancer.
“I’ve had a successful surgery, but I’m still undergoing daily treatment for that,” she said. “You know, it’s really hard to get up and go to radiation every morning and then go to work and campaign and be a mom of three kids. But this is something that is important to me to fight.”
A third justice, Ben Land, is running unopposed this year.
Judicial watchdog says Jordan and Rankin violated rules
On Monday, statements from Georgia’s Judicial Qualifications Commission were made public, saying Jordan and Rankin violated its rules of conduct by endorsing one another and running on the issue of restoring abortion rights to Georgia.
Warren and Bethel both voted to reinstate Georgia’s six-week abortion ban in 2024.
The JQC says candidates can’t make promises that commit them to issues that are likely to come before the court.
In separate statements, Jordan responded that candidates like herself “must be allowed to communicate their views so that voters know who aligns with their values.” And Rankin writes that the JQC’s complaint violates her First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
