By Jill Nolin | Editor
Today we take a look at a pair of Georgia Supreme Court races that have erupted into partisan battles over the seats, although neither side will say that. Officially, these are nonpartisan judicial seats, which means Tuesday is the big day to decide whether two GOP-appointed justices will continue to serve on the state’s highest court or two Democratic-aligned attorneys will replace them.
We also have the latest about a small town’s fight to block a massive ICE detention facility from opening there and a story from The Current GA about a woman who may have kept her Obamacare health insurance after the enhanced subsidies expired but has struggled to pay for the higher monthly premium. And we have guest commentary about why Cumberland Island is at a crossroads.
Two challengers are running to unseat incumbent justices on Georgia’s Supreme Court. Pictured clockwise from the top left: Sarah Warren, Jen Jordan, Miracle Rankin and Charlie Bethel. File photos.
2026 ELECTION
By Maya Homan
Nonpartisan elections like those held for the state Supreme Court race don’t usually attract much attention in Georgia.
But this year, with three sitting justices on the state’s highest court up for re-election, two attorneys backed by a slew of progressive organizations have launched high-profile campaigns, with the hope of shifting the balance of the court.
An industrial warehouse recently purchased by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for use as a detention center is seen on Feb. 10, 2026 in Social Circle, Georgia. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
IMMIGRATION
By Ross Williams
A Georgia city has filed a lawsuit over plans to build a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.
The town is calling on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia to stop the agencies from turning a local industrial warehouse into a 10,000-bed immigration detention facility.
Carry Smith at her office in Savannah on May 13, 2026. After a car accident left Smith severely injured, she now works three jobs to afford the health coverage she needs to stay alive. (Justin Taylor/The Current GA/CatchLight/Report for America)
HEALTH CARE
By Ariel Hart, The Current GA
Carry Smith yawned as she fastened the driver’s side seat belt in her 2002 Toyota Sequoia. On a Sunday in early May, Smith headed to one of her four part-time jobs in Chatham County, part of her seven-day work week.
Two years earlier, Smith suffered life-threatening injuries when a deer crashed into her car. None of her jobs offer health benefits, and so she works every day to afford the insurance that keeps her necessary follow-up medical care accessible.
“What it means to me is my lifeline,” Smith said.
Cumberland Island National Seashore is Georgia’s largest barrier island. Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder
COMMENTARY
By Kelly Cox, Defenders of Wildlife
Cumberland Island is one of Georgia’s last truly wild places. For generations, its appeal has rested in its remoteness and isolation, not its tourist amenities.
That was no accident. When Congress created Cumberland Island National Seashore, it demanded that the island be “permanently preserved in its primitive state.”
Today, that promise to the public is nearly out of reach, with Cumberland at a pivotal crossroads. Unfortunately, the people of Georgia have little information about what is happening.
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MORE FROM OUR DC BUREAU
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ICYMI FROM THE RECORDER
Kemp calls June special session to address redistricting, ballot QR codes in Georgia | Maya Homan and Alander Rocha
Advocates for gun safety measures cheer Georgia governor’s veto | Ross Williams
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