Incumbent Ga. Justice Pinson Tops Ex-Dem Rep. Barrow

Incumbent Georgia Supreme Court Justice Andrew Pinson defeated abortion-fueled challenge from John Barrow on Tuesday in nonpartisan court race.

DecisionDesk HQ called the race for Pinson with 56% of the vote after 60% of precincts reported. Former Democrat Rep. John Barrow, who served from 2005 to 2015, had 44% of the vote.

Pinson, 37, who was appointed to the high court in 2022 by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, will now serve a six-year term.

Barrow, 69, was attempting to become the first candidate to unseat a Georgia Supreme Court justice since 1922, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Barrow made support for abortion rights central to his campaign. Pinson said discussing issues would weaken confidence that he could judge fairly, and he warned of making judicial campaigns too political.

Kemp and other conservatives intervened to aid Pinson in a race that grew heated by the usually sleepy standards of Georgia’s judicial elections. Barrow unsuccessfully sued in federal court, saying a state judicial agency was violating his free-speech rights. The agency warned Barrow his claim that Georgians have a right to abortion under the state constitution might be violating judicial ethics.