Bradshaw v. Sammons - Case Transferred to Supreme Court

GA Court of Appeals Opinions

Filed March 25th, 2026

Detected March 25th, 2026

Summary

The Georgia Court of Appeals has transferred the case of Dakkia Lantwan Bradshaw v. Sue Ellen Sammons to the Supreme Court of Georgia. The case concerns whether Bradshaw, a county commissioner, is term-limited and ineligible to hold office, with a trial court having previously ordered her ineligible.

View original document View source feed page

What changed

The Georgia Court of Appeals has determined that it is uncertain whether it has jurisdiction over the appeal in Dakkia Lantwan Bradshaw v. Sue Ellen Sammons. The case involves a trial court's order finding Bradshaw, a sitting county commissioner, to be term-limited and ineligible for her office, and ordering a special election. The Court of Appeals is transferring the case to the Supreme Court of Georgia, which holds exclusive appellate jurisdiction over election contests and pre-election challenges to candidate qualifications.

This transfer means the immediate appellate proceedings are halted, and the Supreme Court of Georgia will now decide the jurisdictional question and potentially the merits of the term-limit dispute. Regulated parties involved in election contests or facing similar challenges to their eligibility should monitor the Supreme Court's proceedings. No immediate compliance actions are required by this transfer order, but the ultimate decision by the Supreme Court will have significant implications for the involved parties and potentially for future election law interpretations in Georgia.

What to do next

Monitor Supreme Court of Georgia proceedings for jurisdictional and substantive rulings.

Source document (simplified)

Support FLP

CourtListener is a project of Free
Law Project, a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit. Members help support our work and get special access to features.

Please become a member today.

Join Free.law Now

March 25, 2026 Get Citation Alerts Download PDF Add Note

Dakkia Lantwan Bradshaw v. Sue Ellen Sammons

Court of Appeals of Georgia

Citations: None known
Docket Number: A26A1523
Disposition: Transferred To Supreme Court
Opinion
Authorities (2)
Cited By (0)
Summaries (0)
Similar Cases (0)
PDF

Disposition

Transferred To Supreme Court

Combined Opinion

Court of Appeals
of the State of Georgia

ATLANTA,____________________
March 25, 2026

The Court of Appeals hereby passes the following order:

A26A1523. DAKKIA LANTWAN BRADSHAW v. SUE ELLEN SAMMONS.

Dakkia Lantwan Bradshaw has been elected to serve and is currently serving as
a county commissioner for a 2025-2028 term of office. She appeals to this Court from
a trial court’s order determining that she is term-limited and ineligible to hold that
office and ordering that a special election to replace her be called during the May
2026 primary election.

We are in doubt about our jurisdiction.The Supreme Court of Georgia “has
exclusive appellate jurisdiction over ‘[a]ll cases of election contest.’” Cook v. Bd. of
Registrars, 291 Ga. 67, 68 (2)(a)(1) (727 SE2d 478) (2012) (quoting Ga. Const. of 1983,
Art. VI, Sec. VI, Par. II (2)). That Court has held that its jurisdiction over such cases
extends to “pre-election challenges to the qualifications of a candidate who has filed
to run in a pending election for a county or municipal office.” Cook v. Bd. of Registrars
of Randolph Cnty., 291 Ga. 67, 71, (727 SE2d 478) (2012). But it declined at that time
“to further delineate the boundaries of th[at] Court's ‘election contest’ jurisdiction.”
Id., 291 Ga. at 72.

Because jurisdiction over this appeal may lie in the Supreme Court and because
the Supreme Court has the ultimate responsibility for determining appellate
jurisdiction,see Saxton v. Coastal Dialysis & Med. Clinic, 267 Ga. 177, 178 (476 SE2d
587) (1996), this appeal is hereby TRANSFERRED to the Supreme Court for
disposition.

Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia
Clerk’s Office, Atlanta,____________________
03/25/2026
I certify that the above is a true extract from
the minutes of the Court of Appeals of Georgia.
Witness my signature and the seal of said court
hereto affixed the day and year last above written.

, Clerk.