Overview

• Superior Court Judge David Emerson held the Fulton County Board of Commissioners in civil contempt and ordered daily $10,000 payments to the state starting at noon Friday until the two nominees are appointed.
• He also found the board acted in bad faith and was stubbornly litigious, ordering it to pay the county Republican Party’s legal costs.
• The Georgia Court of Appeals declined to pause Emerson’s earlier order, while county attorneys argue making the appointments now could moot their appeal.
• Plaintiffs are pursuing criminal contempt in addition to civil penalties, and two Democratic commissioners have said they are prepared to accept fines or jail rather than vote to seat the nominees.
• The dispute centers on Republican nominees Julie Adams, who abstained from certifying the 2024 primary and later sued over certification authority, and Jason Frazier, who has filed thousands of voter registration challenges, after commissioners rejected them 5-2 in May and later deadlocked 2-2.