Georgia lawmaker appointed to judgeship, triggering special election for House seat

Georgia State Lawmaker Barry Fleming has been appointed as a Superior Court Judge, leading to a special election for his vacant House seat, officials say.

Kemp chooses judges from lists of candidates prepared by the Judicial Nominating Commission, whose members are appointed by the governor.

Fleming lost a race for House speaker to Jon Burns in 2022. He’s been most recognized in recent years for leading the committee that authored a new election law in 2021 which restricted voting by mail and gave the legislature greater control over how elections are run. But House Speaker David Ralston stripped Fleming of his chairmanship after Fleming unsuccessfully ran for whip later in 2021. He was seen as a more right-wing alternative to Burns and Ralston.