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Endorses Gobeil
The race
Georgia Court of Appeals, Gobeil seat, was decided in the nonpartisan election of May 19, 2026: Vice Chief Judge Elizabeth Gobeil defeated Fatima Harris Felton, 56.5% to 43.5%. Nonpartisan ballot; alignment inferred and disclosed.
Elizabeth Gobeil — Incumbent, Vice Chief Judge. Republican-appointed at every step: Governor Nathan Deal named her director and appellate division judge of the State Board of Workers' Compensation in 2012 and elevated her to the Court of Appeals in 2018. Earlier she worked for the Federalist Society and as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell (Emory; University of Georgia law). Her judicial philosophy is on the record in her own words, paraphrasing Justice Scalia: "if you always like your decisions, then you are not doing your job right." She ran unopposed in 2020; 2026 was her first contested statewide race, and she raised a substantial war chest (over $470,000 across cycles, per Transparency USA) — a credit for seriousness and, stated honestly, a sign of how organized the defense of this seat was.
Fatima Harris Felton — Challenger. A Savannah family-law attorney, managing partner of The Eichholz Law Firm from 2017, a frequent speaker on tort law, and a nine-time Rising Stars designee per her firm's published biography. Her endorsement file in this race was thin and one-directional: Indivisible chapters and Young Democrats of Georgia, plus a Democratic Party of Georgia county committee. She has never served as a judge.
Pros and cons
Gobeil: Credits: Fourteen years an appellate judge across two courts; a stated Scalia-line philosophy; elevated to vice chief judge by her colleagues. Dirt/limits: No ethics file surfaced; the documented criticism from opponent-side research is that she had never faced voters in a contested race until 2026 — true until May, and now answered. Felton: Credits: A genuine practice record — firm management, peer recognition, conference speaking. Dirt/limits: No judicial service and no retrieved statement of judicial philosophy; her visible support came from progressive activist networks. Symmetric search note: campaign site, local news, endorsement lists, and firm biography were all worked for Felton; a philosophy statement was not found, and we do not invent one.
OUR CALL
Our call: endorse Elizabeth Gobeil. Inference basis disclosed: Deal appointee twice over, Federalist Society roots, a documented restraint philosophy in her own words — against a challenger with a respectable practice but no bench record and no stated philosophy to weigh against it.
Vote Elizabeth Gobeil.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website. Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same. --- Sources — 2026 Georgia Court of Appeals elections — results and Felton endorsements — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Georgia_Court_of_Appeals_elections • Democracy Resources — Judge Elizabeth Gobeil research memo (appointment path, Federalist Society, fundraising) — https://democracyresources.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Judge-Elizabeth-Gobeil-Memo-Updated-2_24_2026.pdf • Law.com/Daily Report — Questions for the Bench: Judge Gobeil (Scalia paraphrase; workers' comp service) — https://www.law.com/dailyreportonline/2019/03/01/questions-for-the-bench-judge-elizabeth-gobeil-of-the-georgia-court-of-appeals/ • Valdosta CEO — Deal appointments, 2018 (Gobeil background) — http://valdostaceo.com/news/2018/05/governor-deal-announces-judicial-appointments/ • Transparency USA — Gobeil campaign finance — https://www.transparencyusa.org/ga/candidate/elizabeth-gobeil/contributors?cycle=2017-to-now AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.