On Tuesday, Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Judge Don Thompson issued and emergency ruling saying that candidates who were rejected by the Catoosa County Republican Party’s vetting committee can qualify as Republicans in the GOP Primary.

The Catoosa County Republican Party had refused to qualify three sitting Republican county commissioners.  Those commissioners sought the emergency injunction in Superior Court. The ruling has implications for the Chattooga County Republican Party as well.  While the local Republican Party did not refuse to pre-qualify any candidates, the ruling would allow anyone to qualify by this Friday at noon, whether or not they were vetted.

At Tuesday’s hearing no one showed up to represent the Catoosa County Republican Party.  No party officials and no attorneys.  Judge Thompson’s ruling was the first in Georgia judicially challenging the Republican vetting process by local parties.  The state party had already turned down the idea of establishing vetting committees.

Only Catoosa, Chattooga and Pickens County GOP parties have instituted the vetting process.  Catoosa and Chattooga are both in the same judicial circuit.  There was no public comment from the leadership of the Catoosa County or Chattooga County Republican Parties on Judge Thompson’s ruling as of Tuesday evening.