A wave of African American candidates won seven of the 14 contested races for superior court seats last week around Georgia.

In three of those victories, black challengers unseated white incumbents appointed by Republican governors who since 2003 have tapped an overwhelming number of white judges in a state that is about 32% black.

In Fulton County, litigator Shermela Williams defeated Judge Rebecca Crumrine Rieder, a 2018 appointee of Gov. Nathan Deal. In Cobb County, Magistrate Judge Angela Brown upset Chief Judge Reuben Green, a 2010 appointee of Gov. Sonny Perdue. And in Clayton County, former District Attorney Jewel Scott beat Judge Katie Powers, also a 2018 Deal appointee.

The 14 seats at stake were occupied by 11 white judges and three black judges. By January, those spots will be occupied by at least seven black judges. The number could increase depending on how black contenders perform in August runoffs against white candidates in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.

Suzy Ockleberry. (Photo: John Disney/ALM)

"This is a big deal," said Suzy Ockleberry, one of the leaders of Advocacy for Action, a group that presses for a more diverse judiciary. She said a higher percentage of black judges would provide "more of a belief that there is fairness in the system."

When the group started, she said it focused on urging governors to appoint black lawyers to open seats. But over the years, she said "we shifted our message" to urge black lawyers to run for the bench.

Since 2011, the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys has hosted the Judicial and Public Office Academy "to support, educate, promote and fuel the pipeline of well-prepared African-American female attorneys who desire to obtain public office." Williams was an early participant and later an instructor, and several of the other black candidates on the ballot this year were participants.

Another advocate for judicial diversity, Wayne Kendall, said the election victories were "encouraging, but I'm not jumping up and down." He remains frustrated with statistics he developed showing white candidates have been appointed to superior court judgeships 109 of 119 times, or 92% of the time, since Perdue took office in 2003.

Williams, a Georgetown University Law Center graduate with more than a decade of experience as a prosecutor and litigator, is a senior associate at Thomas, Kennedy, Sampson & Tompkins.

Campaigning with a slogan to bring "balance to the bench," Williams said unprecedented national anti-racism demonstrations certainly played a role in energizing black voters. But she credited her campaign strategy focusing on social media, podcasts, community radio and—when allowable under COVID-19 restrictions—walking neighborhoods.

Williams seems particularly proud that her race against Rieder, who had about $100,000 more campaign dollars than Williams, generated 28,000 more votes than the race for Fulton district attorney. Williams received 97,780 votes to Rieder's 90,139.

Asked whether race played a role the election, Rieder said by email, "That is a question for each of the individual voters." She said she is working with Williams to ensure a smooth transition.

"Since taking office, I've felt an enormous responsibility to provide fair, impartial dispensing of justice in a timely manner, and that will remain as I carry out my term," Rieder concluded. "I wish my successor the very best."

Williams said she appreciated Rieder's efforts so far, including welcoming her to observe several proceedings.

'Surreal'

In Cobb County, Brown said the key to her convincing victory over Green—95,687-69,886 votes—was talking to people personally, "which was very challenging" given the limits of COVID-19. But equipped with a mask, she said she struck up conversations at gas stations and wherever else she could.

Brown said race was not part of her strategy, although she talked up her varied background—as a mother, wife of a police officer and daughter of a Tuskegee Airman—along with a wide range of legal experiences.

A 1993 graduate of the University of San Diego law school, Brown has worked at Davis Wright Tremaine in Seattle, served as a prosecutor in Washington state, New Jersey and Cobb County. She also advised corporations about environmental compliance and served as in-house attorney at ASARCO Inc., a mining company.

"Diversity is more than race," she said.

In Cobb Country, Brown ran a small litigation firm handling criminal, family, personal injury and guardian ad litem law, and served as a magistrate judge, working a midnight-8 a.m. shift Wednesdays and Fridays. That meant Brown watched election results, changed clothes and headed to court without knowing she'd won the race.

The slow processing of unprecedented numbers of absentee ballots meant Brown didn't learn she had won the election until Thursday afternoon, nearly two days after the polls closed.

Brown said it was "surreal" when she received a congratulatory call from Judge Robert Leonard, who is set to be the chief judge at Cobb Superior Court when Green leaves at the end of the year.

Brown said Wednesday she has not received a call from Green since the June 9 election, but she expects she will hear from him, "when he is ready." She does not anticipate any transition problems. Other judges have offered to help her in any way they can.

Green did not respond to a call for comment from the Daily Report.

Brown said she is "so thankful" for the support and trust she received from the legal community: "I will work really hard to keep it."

Clayton County

In Clayton County, Scott was well known to voters after serving as district attorney before being voted out of office and narrowly losing a bid for superior court in 2016. Last week, she defeated Powers by a vote count of 23,224-15,626.

Scott, who declined to speak to the Daily Report, was born in Manchester, Jamaica, and got a Bachelor of Laws from the University of the West Indies in Barbados. She earned her J.D. at Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law and joined the State Bar of Georgia in 2001.

Scott's was an occasionally turbulent tenure as DA, including firing her chief investigator for what he said was retaliation when he refused to drop his campaign for a seat on the County Commission that Scott's husband, the late Lee Scott, also was seeking. Both candidates lost, and the investigator later sued the Scotts.

After losing her DA race, Jewel Scott and Lee Scott both ran for the same County Commission seat in 2010, she as a Democrat and he as a Republican. Both lost.

Scott narrowly won a three-way primary in 2016 for a vacant Superior Court seat but lost the general election to now-Judge Shana Rooks.

Scott is a partner at Scott & Turner Law Group, a criminal defense and family law boutique in Jonesboro.

Powers could not be reached for comment by deadline.

The Contested Elections

According to the secretary of state's website, here are the results of the 14 contested superior court elections. A total of 124 races were uncontested. The Daily Report added the races of the candidates and sitting judges.

Alcovy Circuit, replacing Judge Eugene Benton (white)

• Jeffrey L. Foster (white), 37.32%
• Cheveda McCamy (African American), 30.78%
• Robert H. Stansfield (white), 31.90%

Foster and Stansfield go to runoff.

Atlanta Circuit (Fulton County)

Replacing Judge Constance Russell (African American)

• Melynee Leftridge Harris (African American), 32.48%
• Tamika Hrobowski-Houston (African American), 32.90%
• Lizz Kuhn (white), 14.26%
• Ashley Baker Osby (white), 20.36%

Hrobowski-Houston and Harris go to runoff.

For the seat held by Judge Rebecca Crumrine Rieder (white)

• Rebecca Crumrine Rieder (white), 47.97%
• Shermela Williams (African American), 52.03%

For the seat held by Judge Rachelle Carnesale (white)

• Rachelle Carnesale (white), 53.76%
• Tiffany Carter Sellers (African American), 46.24%

Clayton County

For the seat held by Judge Kathryn "Katie" Powers (white)

• Judge Kathryn "Katie" Powers (white), 40.22%
• Jewel Scott (African American), 59.78%

Cobb County

Replacing Judge Stephen Schuster (white)

• John Robert Greco (white), 28.41%
• Jason Marbutt (white), 38.79%
• Gregory "Greg" Shenton (white), 32.80%

Marbutt and Shenton go to runoff.

Replacing Judge Lark Ingram (white)

• Kellie Hill (African American), 63.19%
• Daniele C. Johnson (African American), 36.81%

For the seat held by Chief Judge Judge Reuben Green (white)

• Reuben Green (white), 42.82%
• Angela Brown (African American), 57.18%

Eastern Circuit

Replacing Judge James Bass (African American)

• Lisa Colbert (African American), 62.80%
• Tracy O'Connell (white), 37.20%

Flint Circuit

For the seat held by Judge Holly Veal (African American)

• Loletha Hale (African American), 36.21%
• Holly Veal (African Amercian), 63.79%

Gwinnett County

For the seat held by Judge Randy Rich (white)

• Tamela Adkins (white), 57.18%
• Randy Rich (white), 42.82%

For the seat held by Judge Kathryn Schrader (white)

• Deborah R. Fluker (African American),  20.22%
• Kelly Kautz (white), 10.42%
• Christa Kirk (white), 12.69%
• B. T. Parker (African American), 19.10%
• Kathryn "Kathy" Schrader (white), 37.57%

Middle Circuit

For the seat held by Chief Judge Kathy Palmer (white)

• Tobe C. Karrh (white), 29.30%
• Tommy J. Smith (white), 70.70%

Stone Mountain Circuit (DeKalb County)

For the seat held by Judge Clarence Seeliger (white)

• Roderick Bridges (African American), 13.57%
• Aaron Chausmer (white), 6.23%
• Vincent C. Crawford, (African American), 15.14%
• Yolanda C. Parker-Smith (African American), 46.32%
• Melinda "Mindy" Pillow (white), 18.74%

Parker-Smith and Pillow go to runoff.