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Georgia intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
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The terms of five Georgia intermediate appellate court judges will expire on December 31, 2026. The five seats are up for nonpartisan election on November 3, 2026.
Judges with expiring terms
- This is a list of the judges who must stand for nonpartisan election in 2026 in order to remain on the bench. Judges may choose not to stand for election. The list is subject to change if judges retire or are appointed.
■ Sara Doyle
■ E. Trenton Brown III
■ Elizabeth Gobeil
■ J. Wade Padgett
■ David Markle
Candidates and results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
Sara Doyle's seat
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
E. Trenton Brown III's seat
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
Elizabeth Gobeil's seat
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
J. Wade Padgett's seat
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
D. Todd Markle's seat
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Georgia
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Selection
The fifteen judges on the Georgia Court of Appeals are chosen in nonpartisan elections to serve six-year terms. If they wish to continue serving, they must run for re-election.[1]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:
Chief judge
Judges of the Georgia Court of Appeals serve as chief judge on generally a two-year rotating basis, based on seniority. The chief judge of the court has the authority given by statute to appoint a presiding judge for each of the five divisions of the court.[2]
Vacancies
If a vacancy appears on the court, the position is filled by assisted appointment. The governor chooses an appointee from a list of qualified candidates compiled by the judicial nominating commission. As of March 2023, the judicial nominating commission consisted of 35 members, each appointed by the governor. For each court vacancy, the commission recommends candidates, but the governor is not bound to the commission's choices and may choose to appoint a judge not found on the list.[3] If appointed, an interim judge must run in the next general election held at least six months after the appointment, and, if confirmed by voters, he or she may finish the rest of the predecessor's term.[1][4][5]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Court of Appeals, "History," accessed May 18, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia; Judicial Nominating Commissions," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Governor Brian Kemp, "Executive Order," accessed March 29, 2023
- ↑ Governor Brian Kemp, "Gov. Kemp Names 35 to Judicial Nominating Commission," October 27, 2021
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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