(The Center Square) – Two candidates vying for a seat on the Supreme Court of Georgia violated the state’s Code of Judicial Conduct when they endorsed each other and promised to restore abortion rights, according to a committee of the Judicial Qualifications Commission of Georgia.
ShaMiracle Rankin, challenging Justice Charlie Bethel, and Jennifer Auer Jordan, facing Justice Sarah Hawkins Warren in Tuesday’s primary, filed a federal lawsuit to stop the Special Committee on Judicial Election Campaign Intervention from issuing a statement on a complaint filed against them. They said it violated their First and 14th Amendment rights.
“Defendants have started a process that could result in the issuing of a public statement critical of plaintiffs in the midst of a contentious election after voting has already begun,” Rankin and Jordan said in the case filed on April 30, three days after early voting for the primaries started.
The court documents were initially sealed, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit unsealed them on Monday at the candidate’s request, according to the order.
The complaint accused Rankin and Jordan of violating rules that prohibit candidates from taking stances on issues that could come before the court and endorsing each other.
The candidates jointly announced their campaign on Feb. 24. They included a statement from Dr. Mimi Zieman, identified by the campaigns as a board-certified OB-GYN and women’s health advocate, who gave a statement against Georgia’s abortion law.
Footage and photographs from campaign events have shown the candidates promising to restore abortion rights if elected, according to the committee’s statement. Jordan touted an endorsement for “Reproductive Freedom for All” on social media.
Rankin and Jordan appeared in a joint advertisement where they used the words “we’ve” and “we’ll,” the committee said.
The committee’s statement may not be the final say. The complaint could be forwarded to the Judicial Qualifications Commission of Georgia’s Investigative Panel, according to the statement.
Even though the race is nonpartisan, Democrats and Republicans have expressed their support for the judicial candidates.
Rankin and Jordan received an endorsement from former President Barack Obama on May 7 and are also endorsed by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp appeared with Bethel and Warren in a social media post. The candidates also received endorsements from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Businesses Georgia PAC.
The contest will be decided in Tuesday’s primary.
