ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Georgia’s state supreme court races usually don’t attract many challengers or attention, but that is changing in 2026’s highly charged and nationally watched midterms.

Three of Georgia’s supreme court justices are up for reelection, and two of those incumbents — Charlie Bethel and Sarah Harkins Warren — have drawn challengers: Miracle Rankin and Jen Jordan, respectively.

On Thursday, Bethel announced a campaign reelection steering committee consisting of some prominent figures, including former Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, former state senator Jason Carter, former U.S. attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak and attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who ended Fulton County DA Fani Willis’ historic election interference prosecution of Donald Trump by uncovering Willis’ romantic relationship with her special prosecutor, Nathan Wade.

Deal appointed Bethel to the court in 2018 while he was governor. Bethel was elected to a full, six-year term in 2020.

Rankin’s campaign said the attorney “has built her career advocating for individuals and families navigating complex legal challenges. She is running on a pledge to uphold the rights and freedoms of all Georgians under the Georgia Constitution, protect equal justice under the law, and ensure the Court remains independent and accountable to the people of this state.”

Also on Bethel’s steering committee are former Chief Justice Harold Melton; Patrise Perkins-Hooker, former general counsel of the Atlanta BeltLine; and Robin Frazier Clark, former president of the State Bar of Georgia.

Jordan, a former Democratic state senator who lost to Chris Carr in 2022 in a race for attorney general, is challenging Warren, who was also appointed by Deal in 2018 and, like Bethel, won her first election to a full, six-year term in 2020.

Thirty-two states are holding elections for 64 seats on 34 state supreme courts this year, according to Ballotpedia. That count includes Oklahoma and Texas’ courts of criminal appeals in addition to their supreme courts.

Nonpartisan justices hold 45 of the seats up for election, Republican justices hold 13, and Democratic justices hold six. Twelve of the courts with seats up for election have Democratic majorities, and 22 have Republican majorities.

Nationwide, 20 courts have Democratic majorities, and 32 have Republican majorities. In eight states, the courts’ partisanship is explicitly labeled a result of partisan elections. Democrats control three of these states, and Republicans control five. The remaining 42 states do not have explicitly partisan courts.

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