Georgia local trial court judicial elections, 2020

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Main articles: State judicial elections, 2020 and Local trial court judicial elections, 2020

Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of elections in America's 100 largest cities by population. This coverage extends to every office on the ballot for residents of these cities, including local trial court judges. In 2020, Ballotpedia covered the following local elections in this state:

  • DeKalb County, Georgia - Board of commissioners, chief executive officer, district attorney, clerk of superior court, solicitor-general, sheriff, tax commissioner, chief magistrate, probate court judge, superior court judgeships, state court judgeships, associate state court judgeships, board of education districts, soil and water conservation district supervisors
  • Fulton County, Georgia - County commission districts, county school board districts, clerk of superior court, solicitor general, district attorney, sheriff, tax commissioner, office of surveyor, soil and water district supervisor, and state and probate court judgeships

If the above list includes local trial court judgeships, click the links for more information about the elections. Click here to learn more about how the judges in this state are selected. Ballotpedia did not cover all local trial court judicial elections in this state in 2020. Please consider donating to Ballotpedia to help us expand our coverage of these elections.

Election rules

Most court elections in Georgia are nonpartisan, though counties may choose to hold partisan elections for probate court positions. In judicial races, only partisan positions require primary elections. If no candidate receives a majority of votes cast (50 percent plus one) in a partisan primary, the top two vote recipients advance to a primary runoff. In nonpartisan races where no majority is reached, the top two candidates advance to a general election runoff. Partisan primary and primary runoff winners appear on the general election ballot.[1]

The sections below describe specific requirements for each type of judge.

Probate court judges

See also: Partisan elections

Judges of the Georgia Probate Courts are each elected to four-year terms.[2] The elections for this court type are contested and may be partisan or nonpartisan. To serve on this court, a judge must be a United States citizen, county resident for at least two years, at least 25 years old, a registered voter, have a high school diploma or equivalent and completion of an initial training course. In counties with populations above 96,000, judges are required to have at least seven years of experience practicing law and be 30 years of age.[3]

Magistrate court judges

See also: Partisan elections

Judges of the Georgia Magistrate Courts are either elected or appointed to terms of varying lengths.[4] The elections for this court type are contested and may be partisan or nonpartisan. To serve on this court, a judge must be a county resident for at least one year, be 25 years of age, and have a high school diploma or equivalent.[5]

State court judges

See also: Nonpartisan election

Judges of the Georgia State Courts are elected to four-year terms.[6] The elections for this court are nonpartisan, contested elections. To serve on this court, a judge must be a state resident for at least three years, a county resident, admitted to practice law for at least seven years, and at least 25 years of age.[7]

Superior court judges

There are 202 judges on the Georgia Superior Courts, each chosen by the people in nonpartisan elections to serve a four-year term.

The process for selecting a chief judge and that chief judge's term varies by circuit.[8]

Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:

  • a state resident for three years;
  • a resident of the circuit he or she is representing;
  • admitted to practice law for at least seven years; and
  • at least 30 years old.

Additional elections

See also: Georgia elections, 2020

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Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Five of 159 Georgia counties—3.14 percent—are pivot counties. These are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 pivot counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Baker County, Georgia 8.68% 0.57% 1.07%
Dooly County, Georgia 2.05% 6.98% 3.53%
Peach County, Georgia 2.91% 7.48% 6.75%
Quitman County, Georgia 10.92% 9.04% 7.90%
Twiggs County, Georgia 1.58% 8.64% 6.97%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Georgia with 50.8 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 45.6 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Georgia voted Democratic 63.33 percent of the time and Republican 36.67 percent of the time. Georgia voted Republican in every presidential election from 2000 to 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Georgia. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[9][10]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 64 out of 180 state House districts in Georgia with an average margin of victory of 45.5 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 74 out of 180 state House districts in Georgia with an average margin of victory of 42.3 points. Clinton won 14 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 116 out of 180 state House districts in Georgia with an average margin of victory of 36.6 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 106 out of 180 state House districts in Georgia with an average margin of victory of 36.8 points. Trump won four districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


See also

Local courts Georgia Other local coverage
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Footnotes

  1. ↑ 2016 Georgia Code, "Title 21 Chapter 2 Article 12 § 21-2-501," accessed October 2, 2017
  2. ↑ New Georgia Encyclopedia, "Judicial Branch: Overview," June 5, 2014
  3. ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 2, 2014
  4. ↑ New Georgia Encyclopedia, "Judicial Branch: Overview," June 5, 2014
  5. ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 2, 2014
  6. ↑ New Georgia Encyclopedia, "Judicial Branch: Overview," June 5, 2014
  7. ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 2, 2014
  8. ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 2, 2014
  9. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  10. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017

Georgia courts

Federal courts:

Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Middle District of Georgia, Northern District of Georgia, Southern District of Georgia • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Middle District of Georgia, Northern District of Georgia, Southern District of Georgia

State courts:

Georgia Supreme Court • Georgia Court of Appeals • Georgia Superior Courts • Georgia State Courts • Georgia Business Court • Georgia Tax Court • Georgia Juvenile Courts • Georgia Probate Courts • Georgia Magistrate Courts • Georgia Municipal Courts

State resources:

Courts in Georgia • Georgia judicial elections • Judicial selection in Georgia

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