Johnnie Caldwell Jr.

Johnnie Caldwell Jr. is an American politician from Georgia. He served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019.

Johnnie Caldwell Jr.
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
from the 131st district
In office
January 14, 2013 – January 14, 2019
Preceded byRichard H. Smith
Succeeded byKen Pullin
Judge for the Griffin Judicial Circuit
In office
1995–2010
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Rita Caldwell
ProfessionAttorney

Caldwell previously served on the Fayette County Superior Court, and resigned in 2010 due to the fallout of sexually inappropriate comments and physical contact made to female lawyers.[1][2][3] He ran for the Georgia House in 2012, and won, representing the 131st District centered on Thomaston, Georgia.[4] He has won reelection twice.[5] Although he had a challenger in the 2012 Republican primary for his seat, he has never run in a contested general election. Johnnie ran in a contested primary in 2018 against fellow republican, Ken Pullin. Ken went on to win the nomination on May 22, 2018 and took 63 percent of the vote. Ken easily defeated his democratic opponent Chris Benton in his heavily republican district. He succeeded Johnnie Caldwell Jr. on January 14, 2019. Johnnie is currently a private citizen.[6]

Committee assignments

Caldwell served on a number of committees:

  • Appropriations
  • Banks and Banking
  • Insurance
  • Judiciary
  • Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment (Chairman)
  • Motor Vehicles
  • Rules[7]

Family

His father Johnnie Caldwell Sr. also served in the Georgia House of Representatives, where he also was a key player in the redistricting of the state and the regulation of insurance.[8]

Legislation

In 2017 House session, Caldwell proposed a change to the State Constitution reducing the independence of the Judicial Qualifications Commission that polices the judges. This is the group involved with his resignation from the bench.[9]

Political Rankings

Various political groups have assigned scores to Caldwell based on his votes.

American Conservative Union

References
  1. http://thecitizen.com/2010/04/27/judicial-turmoil-2-judges-quit-during-state-ethics-probe/
  2. https://thecitizen.com/2010/06/25/judge-caldwells-indiscretions-recounted-court-subpoenaed-ex-judge-english-no-sh/
  3. https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/investigations/disgraced-former-ga-judge-behind-push-to-abolish-judicial-watchdog-group-1/303205441
  4. http://www.myajc.com/news/local/effort-replace-judicial-watchdog-needed-political-payback/2RQG1fd4yw6ugiBMxpUDVJ/
  5. "Johnnie Caldwell Jr". Open States. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  6. "Johnnie Caldwell". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  7. "Georgia House of Representatives". Johnnie Caldwell, Jr. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  8. "Johnnie Lafayette Caldwell Sr". Coggins Funeral Home. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  9. Keefe, Brendan. "Disgraced former Ga. judge behind push to abolish judicial watchdog group". WXIA. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  10. "2015 Ratings of (sic) Georgia (PDF)" (PDF). American Conservative Union. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  11. "2014 Ratings of (sic) Georgia (PDF)". American Conservative Union. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  12. "2013 Ratings of (sic) Georgia (PDF)". American Conservative Union. Retrieved 31 March 2017.


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