DeKalb Chief Judge Johnson Repels Attacks, Soundly Wins Reelection
DeKalb Superior Court Chief Judge Courtney Johnson withstood challenger Genet Hopewell's attacks and was reelected by an almost 2-to-1 margin.
May 23, 2018 at 06:36 PM
2 minute read
Facing an opponent whose campaign was marked by harsh attacks on her record and courtroom demeanor, DeKalb County Superior Court Chief Judge Courtney Johnson said going into the election that she was confident her record and public support would see her through.
On Tuesday, DeKalb voters proved her right, with Johnson out-polling challenger Genet Hopewell almost 2-to-1. The final tally saw Johnson pull in 55,028 votes out of a total 85,094 cast, giving her 64.7 percent of the vote to Hopewell's 35.1 percent.
Johnson—who told the Daily Report on Friday that she had a trial set for this week—couldn't be reached Wednesday. In the days running up to the election, she expressed frustration at Hopewell's tactics.
Those tactics included mailers and YouTube videos lambasting the judge for her handling of the trial of former DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis, whose conviction for attempted extortion and perjury was overturned by the Georgia Supreme Court. Hopewell also highlighted an incident in which Johnson was accused—wrongly, the judge said—of denying an attorney a bathroom break with unfortunate results.
Johnson characterized the criticism of her handling of the Ellis trial as an unfair attack on one out of thousands of cases she's handled and said Hopewell's mailer citing the “bathroom break” episode was “distasteful.”
In her last interview Johnson, said the race was one that “should be considered carefully by the voters,” adding that “I hope they reelect me.”
On Tuesday, the DeKalb electorate did just that.
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