ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The Georgia Court of Appeals has reversed a lower court’s ruling holding the Fulton County Board of Commissioners in contempt for refusing to seat two Republicans to the county’s board of elections.

On Friday, the court also reversed the $10,000-a-day fine imposed by the lower court on the commission for failing to seat Jason Frazier and Julie Adams, who had been nominated by the Fulton County Republican Party to the elections board.

Fulton County’s Democrat-dominated board of commissioners refused to seat Adams and Frazier on grounds they were not qualified for the positions.

A Fulton County Superior Court ruling held the commission in contempt and imposed the fines, rulings that have now been reversed by the state court of appeals.

“Because the trial court interfered with the constitutional prerogative of the Commissioners to appoint public officers, we agree and reverse in both cases,” said the appeals court ruling. “Because the commissioners were acting within their own lawful and discretionary authority when they declined to seat the BRE nominees at issue, we reverse the trial court’s grant of a writ of mandamus as an abuse of that court’s discretion.

“It follows from our conclusion that the trial court abused its discretion when it issued the writ of mandamus that its order holding the Commissioners in contempt for violating that writ must also be reversed.”

This story is developing.

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