As it turns out, the United States Supreme Court ended up removing two Georgia Public Service Commission Races from this year’s November 8th, Ballot. This entirely leaves the possibility open for an appeals court to think twice about a five-member board ruled to be discriminatory by a judge. It leaves open the possibility that there is an appeals court that will rethink the five-member board ruled to be discriminatory.
How did this happen?
Of course, the Supreme Court ruled last Friday how the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals had made a mistake last week, while blocking out the United States District Court injunction to stop the PSC elections. Long after the Georgia lawmakers decidedly replaced the district-seat statewide election process that would in turn violate the Voting Rights Act which would already stop Black Voters’ ability to elect preferred candidates.
The 11th circuit judges are deciding now if they’re looking to review the case and in turn place two commission races all the way back into the fall’s midterm election ballot, while using a legal argument that can claim the injunction, while close to the election. Through a 2-1 vote, the Circuit Court is giving an emergency motion to keep going on elections, conducting for the exact same general election, which will feature high-profile races for governor, secretary of state and the U.S. Senate.
Through the ruling of the nation’s highest court, those two PSC seats are up for grabs as the deadline approaches for the Secretary of State’s office will allow for ballots prepared ahead of the October 17th, early voting period.
In the meantime, the usual citizens of Georgia utilized the state regulators to decide during the appeal of the U.S. District Judge Steven Grimsberg’s ruling in support of the plaintiffs that seek district-level elections that will probably increase the opportunities of Black residents’ concerns for commissioners who are thinking about Georgia Power and more utilities charging for electricity and natural gas.
It’s a good thing that this precaution was made for the Supreme Court. It’s just a further approval of how November’s PSC elections will not be held with a method that dilutes the votes of millions upon millions of Black Georgian citizens.
Certainly these developments have PSC vice-chairman Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson, the Commissioner, continuing to reside in their spots. Echols was supposed to face off against Patty Durance and Libertarian Colin McKinney in District 2. And Commissioner Johnson was supposed to face off against Sheila Edwards in turn. Now, only 1/3 of Georgia voters are Black, but being that the white majority most elects Republicans, there’s a likelihood that there could be a racial bias. After all, only one black candidate has ever won a PSC election in the 143-history of the state itself. Attorneys for the state are very certain that the U.S. District Court should not see it as racist or discriminatory, meanwhile, lawyers are praising the high court decision. All in a good day of justice for the state of Georgia and the country at-large.