Judge throws out Kemp lawsuit over election board flap in Georgia

ATLANTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – In August, we told you about ethics complaints filed against members of the Georgia State Elections Board.

Shortly thereafter, a lawsuit was filed alleging that Georgia Governor Brian Kemp breached his duty as governor to initiate a hearing in response to the ethics complaints.

On Wednesday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville granted the state’s motion to dismiss the case. He ruled that while the plaintiffs had the right to request action, an investigation was required before a lawsuit could be brought.

One of the plaintiffs in this case is Democratic Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes.

“We must remove these rogue election board members who are sowing chaos in our electoral system. And these are bipartisan concerns. The Attorney General even has these concerns. This also applies to the Foreign Secretary,” said Islam Parkes.

Her lawyer Wayne Kendall accused the governor in court of playing partisan politics.

“The only governor who has had a problem with the meaning of formal charges is Governor Kemp. And I’ll grant you that the only reason he had a problem with it was because he didn’t want to upset the former president,” Kendall said.

A spokesman for the governor said, “As he has in the past, the governor will follow the laws and constitution of our state.”

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The state argued the lawsuit was premature without an initial investigation, otherwise anyone with a complaint could file a complaint against the hundreds of members on any of the state’s dozens of boards.

Kendall told reporters after the hearing that he planned to appeal the judge’s decision.

“He completely misinterpreted the law and grafted his own meaning onto the clear and simple words of the law,” Kendall said.

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