The U.S. Supreme Court won’t hear a case challenging Georgia’s system of electing utility regulators statewide, a decision likely to clear the way for resuming elections to the Georgia Public Service Commission.
The high court on Monday rejected claims that the power of Black voters was illegally diluted because the five commissioners are elected statewide. A lower court said such statewide votes were discriminatory, which could have been a pathbreaking ruling if it stood. It would have mandated elections by district, potentially sparking challenges to statewide elected bodies in other states with large numbers of Black voters.
However, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling in November, saying Georgia was free to choose its form of government for the commission.
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