Paulding Superior Court Judgeship Will Be Governor's Appointment

There will be no vote for Paulding County Superior Court judge in the 2014 election.

Amid charges of nepotism, Elizabeth Osborne Williams has withdrawn her candidacy for the seat currently held by her father, Judge James R. Osborne.

As a result, there are no candidates and the judgeship will become a gubernatorial appointment, according to the AJC.

And, the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission told the AJC that it will not seek ethical charges against the father and daughter, provided neither runs for the seat.

According to media reports, the father and daughter came under scrutiny after the recent qualifying period, March 3-7.

According to WXIA-TV, James Osborne applied for re-election on the first day of qualification; his daughter signed up on the last day. One day later, he withdrew, leaving Williams the only qualified candidate.

Some critics claimed the father and daughter were trying to rig the election to keep the seat in the family. Columbus, Ga., Ledger-Enquirer columnist Chuck Williams wrote, “There is a judicial mess playing out in Paulding County.”

Osborne told WSB-TV  last week that he didn’t think he did anything wrong and there was no scheme.