For the first time in decades, three open judgeships in Gwinnett County are up for grabs.
Walter J. Clarke, Robert Mock and Dawson Jackson -- chief judges in the Probate, State and Superior courts, respectively -- intend to retire at the end of 2012. And their impending departure has quite a few attorneys sparring for their turn on the bench.
"I can't recall a time where we had three open spaces in Probate, State and Superior Court," said Jackson, a trial court judge in Gwinnett since 1979. "We've had open elections, but I can't think of three at once."
Voter turnout is expected to be low because the Public Service Commission is the only statewide race and there are no federal offices on the ballot. Consequently, the voters will be driven to the polls based upon hyperlocal issues, said Mark Rountree, a political consultant for Landmark Communications. Rountree said a similar race has not shaped up since 1952.
Candidates' current fundraising efforts are yielding only about half the contributions they did during bountiful economic times, Rountree said, so don't expect to see television ads and blanket mailings. Instead, candidates will focus on identifying and appealing to the those most likely to vote via Facebook and targeted mailings.
The election is set for July 31. Qualifying will run May 23-25, but several attorneys have already announced they will run.
Superior Court
Four attorneys who are solo practitioners are angling to be the county's next Superior Court judge. The Superior Court is a trial court of general jurisdiction that handles felony criminal cases as well as adoptions, divorces, and disputes over equity and titles to land. The salary for a Superior Court judge, including state pay and county supplements, is about $168,000.
Two candidates have experience as Municipal Court judges.
Tracey Mason Blasi has been a Duluth Municipal Court judge and is an attorney specializing in mediation and land use. Blasi, 50, has practiced law in Georgia for 20 years.
Family law attorney Kathy Schrader, 49, has practiced in the county since 1987. She also serves as a Municipal Court judge for the cities of Duluth and Sugar Hill.
Christopher C. McClurg, a private attorney who has handled litigation in Probate, State and Superior courts, said he is drawn to Superior Court because he is primarily a trial attorney and he can bring that experience into the courtroom. McClurg, 42, said he has tried 1,559 cases in Gwinnett.
Giles D. Sexton is the most recent to announce his intent to run. He's a 16-year private practice attorney who specializes in criminal defense but also handles domestic and civil litigation. Sexton, 43, has handled more than 1,200 felony cases alone.
State Court
State Court is a trial court with limited jurisdiction over misdemeanor and traffic violations and civil lawsuits. Judges of the court make about $160,000.
Of the four candidates seeking to fill the open spot, two have gained most of their experience in Superior Court.
Richard T. Winegarden was a Superior Court judge for 21 years before he was unseated by Karen Beyers in 2008.
Winegarden says he's not ready to retire. And if successful, he would be returning to the Division 1 State Court seat that he vacated 25 years ago. More recently, Winegarden has worked mostly as a mediator.
Gregory E. Lundy has also spent a majority of his career working as the staff attorney for Superior Court Judge Michael C. Clark.
Lundy said he's running for State Court because the first five years after he graduated from law school were spent in private practice, and a majority of his cases landed there. Lundy said his time working for Clark has helped him learn to evaluate and address legal arguments.
Also running are solo practitioners Emily J. Brantley, Pamela T. Britt and Norman H. Cuadra.
Brantley, 54, is a civil litigator who worked for Long, Weinberg, Ansley & Wheeler before the firm broke up about 13 years ago. She now works in private practice out of a Lawrenceville office. She said her extensive experience with litigation should serve her well in State Court, where lawsuits are commonly handled.
Cuadra, a family law and criminal defense attorney, has also been a Municipal Court judge for the city of Doraville since 2005. He is of Nicaraguan descent and speaks fluent Spanish, so if elected, he would be the first Latino on the Gwinnett State Court bench.
Britt handles family, criminal and civil law in her practice, which she has operated for 15 years. She was married, had a family and raised her daughter before going to college at age 36 (while holding a full-time job) and then graduating from Georgia State University's College of Law. Britt believes her breadth of life experience coupled with work experience makes her uniquely suited for a judgeship.
Probate Court
Pitted against each other for Probate Court judge are estate planning and elder law attorney Christopher Ballar and Marlene Rose Duwell, who is chief clerk of the Probate Court.
Probate Court issues marriage licenses and death certificates, probates wills, administers estates, and also has jurisdiction over gun permits, involuntary hospitalization, and guardianship issues for adults and minors. The Probate Court judge is paid about $117,000.
Ballar, 40, has been in private practice for 11 years. He handles mainly estate planning and helping families dealing with a person's death, disability or incapacitation. He also serves as a court-appointed guardian ad litem in Gwinnett representing children.
Duwell, 50, jokes that she keeps a low profile, but courthouse regulars know she has been in Probate Court "forever." (Or 18 years, to be exact.)
She was appointed chief clerk in 1997. She is currently responsible for all administrative and some judicial duties of the court.
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