Supreme Court won’t hear case claiming discrimination in Georgia Public Service Commission elections

ATLANTA (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court won’t hear a case challenging Georgia’s system of electing utility regulators statewide, a decision likely to clear the way for resuming elections to the Georgia Public Service Commission.

The high court on Monday rejected claims that the power of Black voters was illegally diluted because the five commissioners are elected statewide. A lower court said such statewide votes were discriminatory, which could have been a pathbreaking ruling if it stood. It would have mandated elections by district, potentially sparking challenges to statewide elected bodies in other states with large numbers of Black voters.

However, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling in November, saying Georgia was free to choose its form of government for the commission.

“We’re obviously very disappointed that the Supreme Court chose not to take up the case,” said Bryan Sells, a lawyer for the challengers.

Mike Hasinger, a spokesperson for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, said the state believes it is on track for elections to resume in 2025.

Voters have for decades challenged at-large election systems in local governments with large numbers of Black voters, often winning on the grounds that a white majority votes together to entirely exclude the preferred candidates of Black voters. Usually a court orders voting by district to remedy the discrimination proved at trial.

Georgia’s Public Service Commission has gone years without having elections because votes were paused during the lawsuit.

Anticipating that a court would order elections to resume after the 11th Circuit ruling, Georgia lawmakers earlier this year added an extra two years to the current terms of