Georgia Roundup: Gas Tax Relief Extended, Supreme Court Candidates Face Misconduct Accusations, Emory Expands Clinical Trials
Why It Matters
Georgia residents are navigating a confluence of consequential developments this week: relief at the gas pump is being extended amid elevated fuel prices, two high-profile judicial elections are proceeding under a cloud of ethics findings, and a major university medical program is broadening access to clinical research. Together, the stories reflect the state’s policy, judicial, and public health landscape heading into summer.
Gas Tax Suspension Extended Through Memorial Day
Governor Brian Kemp invoked his emergency declaration authority to extend Georgia’s suspension of the state motor fuel tax for an additional two weeks. The suspension, which covers a 33-cent-per-gallon break on gasoline and 37 cents on diesel, had been set to expire Tuesday night before Kemp acted.
The governor cited rapidly rising fuel costs, driven in part by the ongoing conflict in Iran, as justification for the emergency declaration. The extended suspension runs through June 2, covering the Memorial Day travel period when pump prices are expected to remain near multi-year highs. Georgia is one of only two states currently maintaining a gas tax suspension.
Lawmakers passed the original suspension on March 20, which Kemp signed immediately. The renewed pause does not require additional legislative action, as the emergency powers framework allows the governor to act unilaterally.
Supreme Court Candidates Accused of Code Violations
A special committee of Georgia’s Judicial Qualifications Commission has found that two candidates running for seats on the state Supreme Court violated judicial conduct rules, though the findings will not stop Tuesday’s elections from proceeding.
Candidates Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin, both backed by prominent Democrats, are challenging Republican-appointed justices and have run a joint campaign. The commission’s committee found their conduct — including campaigning together and making campaign statements on issues likely to come before the court — violates state judicial codes, which prohibit candidates from endorsing one another or pledging positions on cases that may reach their docket.
Jordan characterized the findings as a politically motivated effort to silence her campaign. Rankin called the accusations character assassination. Despite the ethics committee’s conclusions, voters will determine the outcome of both races on Tuesday. Other contested state races in Tuesday’s voting are expected to produce no clear winner and advance to a June 16 runoff. Similar judicial and redistricting dynamics have reshaped court races in neighboring states as well — Alabama recently split its U.S. House primaries following a court ruling, reflecting the broader regional volatility in election administration.
Emory University Expands Clinical Trial Access
Emory University’s School of Medicine is expanding the reach of its clinical trial programs with a model designed to find patients rather than waiting for patients to find the trials.
“It’s really not dependent on a patient showing up at a hospital where just by sheer luck there happens to be an investigator studying a disease,” said Larry Busse, describing the approach. “We turn that upside down and go find the patients where they are.”
The initiative is aimed at broadening participation in medical research, particularly for patients who may not be receiving care at major academic medical centers where trials are typically conducted.
By the Numbers
- 33 cents per gallon: gas tax relief for Georgia motorists under the extended suspension
- 37 cents per gallon: diesel tax relief under the same measure
- June 2: new expiration date for the gas tax suspension
- 2: number of states currently suspending their motor fuel taxes
- 5,350: estimated number of Georgians to be diagnosed with colon cancer this year, according to the American Cancer Society
- $125 million: planned investment by Unified Legacy, a precision metal fabrication company, to build a new manufacturing facility in Macon, Georgia, projected to create 500 jobs
What’s Next
Georgia voters head to the polls Tuesday to decide the two Supreme Court races and a number of other down-ballot contests. The Judicial Qualifications Commission’s misconduct findings have no authority to remove the candidates from the ballot, leaving the matter entirely in voters’ hands. Runoff elections for unresolved races are scheduled for June 16.
On fuel prices, the June 2 suspension deadline will require another extension or expiration decision from the governor, depending on market conditions. Meanwhile, Augusta University researchers studying rising colorectal cancer rates among adults under 50 are calling for expanded early screening outreach, particularly in minority communities where awareness and trust in healthcare systems remain barriers to timely diagnosis.