DeKalb County Superior Court: 5 lawyers vie for 2 judgeships

The race for a DeKalb County Superior Court judgeship (also known as the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit) has all the markings of a brawl — lots of fundraising, news coverage and harsh accusations flung against each other at a heated debate.

Hell, it’s even managed to divide law firms and bar associations. Someone make some popcorn.

Judge Linda Warren Hunter, who’s banged the gavel for 21 years, is trying to hold onto her seat. She’s backed by former DeKalb County District Attorneys J. Tom Morgan and Jeffrey H. Brickman.

Hunter’s opponent, Tom Stubbs, is a family law attorney with 17 years experience arguing cases. He’s supported by former Gov. Roy Barnes and State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver — both of whom are trial lawyers.

The race started with a bang back in July when Stubbs accused Hunter of unpredictable rulings and a testy temperament on the bench. The Daily Report, Georgia’s leading lawyers’ newspaper, delved into the race and found lawyers who say Hunter can be harsh at times, while others said she was fair minded and reasonable.

Hunter fired back and said her challenger isn’t experienced enough in the matters he’d hear were he to win the election. (A subscription is required to view the articles, but Stubbs has copies available on his website.) In what appears to have been a particularly raucous late-September debate, the two battled over Hunter’s decision to jail two would-be jurors — out of the nearly 17,000 she’s seen since taking the bench — for contempt.

Hunter was appointed to the bench in 1991 by former Gov. Zell Miller. Prior to the appointment, she served on the DeKalb State Court and as an assistant DeKalb County district attorney. She’s the first African-American woman to serve as chief judge of the DeKalb County Superior Court, the Daily Report says.

Before practicing law, Stubbs served in the U.S. Senate as an economist. He’s experienced in state and federal court and says the wide range of cases he’s tackled, ranging from criminal to family law, make suited to become a Superior Court judge.

We’d love for anyone to share more feedback on this contest with us and our readers.

We’re also seeking more input on an open Superior Court judgeship in DeKalb, where three candidates vying to replace Judge Anne Workman, who’s retiring.

Before resigning this year to run for the seat, Tangela Barrie served as an assistant district attorney in DeKalb. She says she has more felony jury trial experience in the court than her opponents combined.

State Board of Workers’ Compensation Administrative Law Judge Johnny Mason has presided over workers’ comp since 2001 and has more than 20 years experience in arguing and hearing cases.

DeKalb County Recorders Court Judge R. Joy Walker — who won kudos from Internet progressives in 2006 after she dismissed a citation written to a DeKalb motorist for having a “lewd” anti-Bush bumper sticker — is a former senior public defender in Atlanta. She was appointed to the DeKalb County Recorders Court in 2001 as an associate judge and was promoted to chief judge the following year.

Check for updates on this race and posts on others at CL’s 2008 Voters’ Guide. Come back to the Voter’s Guide next week to download our Voter’s Cheat Sheet.