by Dave Williams | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – A Fulton County Superior Court judge has issued an injunction staying enforcement of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s order disqualifying Daniel Blackman from next month’s state Public Service Commission (PSC) Democratic Primary ballot.
Raffensperger ruled on Wednesday that Blackman failed to prove he had established residence inside PSC District 3 at least one year before this November’s general election as required by state law.
One day later, Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville stayed the order in a one-page decision pending the outcome of a hearing set for June 10. Early voting ahead of the June 17 began on Monday.
“The court does not find that the harm incurred by allowing (Blackman) to remain on the ballot pending a final hearing in this case is outweighed by the potential harm of removing him as a candidate at this juncture of the proceedings,” Glanville wrote.
Three other Democrats are vying for the party’s nomination in PSC District 3, which covers Fulton, Clayton and DeKalb counties. The winner of the primary will challenge incumbent Republican Commissioner Fitz Johnson in November.
Blackman’s lawyer, Matthew Wilson, praised Glanville’s decision.
“We are grateful to the Fulton Superior Court for granting our request for an injunction while we litigate Daniel’s appeal,” Wilson said Friday. “Once we are actually given a fair hearing, I am confident Daniel will prevail because all the facts and all the law are on his side.”
Blackman has run for the commission before, losing in a runoff to incumbent Republican Lauren “Bubba” McDonald in January 2021. After that, he joined the Biden administration as Southeast regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
