(Photo: Bigstock)This Is Judicial Manipulation: Letter to the Editor
"If that type of reasoning prevails, Georgia voters will have lost our constitutional right to vote for judges."
March 18, 2020 at 10:42 AM
2 minute read
Our governor is continuing what he began as our secretary of state—a suppression of Georgia's voters' constitutional rights.
Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham initially announced he was not seeking reelection. But after several candidates established campaigns to run for his position, he suddenly announced his resignation so the governor can now appoint a replacement.
Supreme Court Justice Keith Blackwell recently announced he is not going to run for reelection but instead retire in November (so he can remain on the bench long enough to qualify for a state pension). Our governor has accepted this "resignation," so no one can qualify for the position, and the appointment process has begun again to preclude Georgia citizens from electing another Supreme Court justice.
Our attorney general contends once a governor notifies our secretary of state of his decision to fill a resignation via appointment there is no longer a statutory legal duty to hold a duly scheduled election.
I stood for election every four years from 1990 until 2010. When I decided to retire and numerous candidates ran to replace me, I guess I could have then announced my retirement effective the day before the election so as to allow the governor to anoint my successor, regardless of the voters' choice.
If that type of reasoning prevails, Georgia voters will have lost our constitutional right to vote for judges.
Melvin K. Westmoreland Senior Judge, Superior Courts of Georgia
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