I thought Mike Sheffield might be the GOP candidate. I’ve heard a lot of them singing his praises. But then I got this email in the mail today:
Please join us in voting for Sara Doyle in the runoff election on December 2 for the Georgia Court of Appeals.
In these difficult times for families and for conservative principles, it has never been more important that we elect the right judges. We have known Sara and practiced law alongside her for many years, and we know her to be the right choice for Georgia families and businesses.
A Mercer law graduate and a partner with the international law firm of Holland Knight, Sara has spent her career defending employers and businesses in litigation. In her fifteen years as a lawyer, she has handled a wide range of cases from trial through the appellate process involving contracts, torts, employment, insurance, real estate, tax, trusts and estates, workers compensation, and liability disputes. Sara has lectured on issues of student discipline and privacy at Georgia School of Law seminars, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, and the Education Law Association’s annual seminar. And Sara has litigated in Federal and State courts–both in and outside of the state of Georgia–giving her a comprehensive understanding of the legal process.
Sara is a devoted wife and mother. She married her college sweetheart, Jay Doyle, almost 16 years ago, and they are the proud parents of Mary Donovan. The Doyles attend Lutheran Redeemer Church in Atlanta. The life challenges of balancing her career, a marriage, and raising their daughter give Sara a sense of purpose and keep her focused on the trials that every family faces.
She has pledged that Georgia’s families will be the foundation of every decision she makes on the Court of Appeals, that every life is protected, and that justice is served.
As lawyers who have been fighting for Republican principles our entire careers, we urge you to join us in voting for Sara.
It was signed by Anne Lewis, Frank Strickland, Robert Highsmith, and Mike Bowers.
Of course, I already voted for Sara.
{ 82 comments }
Next Comments →
It is still a shame that McFadden didn’t win.
Any McCain voters care to say that “experience” counts on that choice…or are you all going to be partisan hacks and back anybody other than McFadden?
I don’t see how this letter proves she is the Republican or the Conservative choice for court of appeals. I haven’t made up my mind yet, so convince me
Perry McGuire, who had a lot of Republican Establishment endorsements, endorsed Sheffield.
kiss of death, mcquire endorsement.
I’ve been wondering what to do on this choice. I am disturbed by the not so veiled reference to an anti-choice bias and her reported fondness for the death penalty, not to mention a Mike Bowers endorsement, but if McGuire has endorsed the other candidate, I guess I’ll go with Doyle.
Clearly the best qualified candidate. it says something when attorneys from both parties and all parts of the bar support a candidate.
Best qualified candidate?
She was far from the best qualified. She has only been admitted 14 years. Even though the law allows it, that is too little experience for even a trial court judge as far as I am concerned (and many of my practicing colleagues).
The other negatives include the fact that she went to undergrad at Florida. That alone would prohibit me from voting for her, even if it were not the issue of experience.
She has a law degree from Mercer, which in this state is better than only John Marshall. It ostensibly means that she could not get into Florida, Georgia, Georgia State or Emory. Erick may be voting for her because of his Mercer bias. (LOL).
Based on the current composition of the court, it probably would not hurt to have someone with a lot of knowledge of criminal law. Sheffield can’t screw up anything worse than an inexperienced attorney can.
The Court of Appeals is a court that reviews law, it is not a court of policy, and the credentials on being conservative don’t matter as much as the state Supreme Court.
“Perry McGuire, who had a lot of Republican Establishment endorsements, endorsed Sheffield.”
AhahahahhahahahahahHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHhahahahahah…A!!!
That might just be the dumbest post I’ve ever read.
“The other negatives include the fact that she went to undergrad at Florida.”
Sorry, Icarus. Yours is now tied with Barrister’s idiotic post.
I wonder how she would rule on a case involving an ordinance, statute, etc. that outlaws abortion in all cases if it were before her? Would she uphold the law in question in order to protect every life? Or would she strike down the law as unconstitutional? If she doesn’t strike down the law, doesn’t that make her an “activist” judge?
Voted for her once and I plan to do it again.
Is this about Republican principles or about Robert Highsmith using his connections to get his Holland and Knight law partner elected?
Exactly …seems more like Midtown attorneys looking out for another Midtown attorney, in my opinion. I think they’re both good candidates…I’ve actually seen Mike Sheffield out and about though and had a chance to meet him, so he gets my vote (seemed like a strong conservative candidate from what I heard of his speech…maybe he was just playing to the crowd though?)
Won’t be voting for her. Georgia Equality considersher as one of their candidates.
http://www.georgiaequality.org/cms/index.php
Welcome to Georgia Equality
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Georgia Equality encourages our members to remember to vote in the runoff election scheduled for December 2.
Two of our candidates for judge, Tangela Berrie in the DeKalb Superior Court race and Sara Doyle in the Georgia Court of Appeals race will be facing opponents in the runoff.
There will also be runoffs for the Public Service Commission and Georgia US Senate seats.
Visit the Secretary of States website for the latest information on early voting or to request an absentee ballot.
She won’t get my vote. She is one of Georgia Equality’s candidates.
http://www.georgiaequality.org/cms/index.php
Welcome to Georgia Equality
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Georgia Equality encourages our members to remember to vote in the runoff election scheduled for December 2.
Two of our candidates for judge, Tangela Berrie in the DeKalb Superior Court race and Sara Doyle in the Georgia Court of Appeals race will be facing opponents in the runoff.
There will also be runoffs for the Public Service Commission and Georgia US Senate seats.
Visit the Secretary of States website for the latest information on early voting or to request an absentee ballot.
Sorry for the double posting Did not mean to. My computer locked up and it looks like it posted twice
It is a shame Edenfield did not win.
However, Sheffield has my vote locked up.
Doyle is a joke.
Doyle is a joke? You’re young, right? When you make disrespectful, conclusory statements like that you come across as Henery Hawk. You would do well to avoid projecting such an image.
It is a joke that Doyle is posing as a conservative. Georgia Equality is not throwing their support to her for nothing….
It is a joke that Doyle is posing as a conservative. Georgia Equality is not throwing their support to her for nothing….
Let’s not get carried away here. Georgia Equality would support a garden gnome before it would support Sheffield. Seriously, what candidate other than McGuire wasn’t perceived as being at least slightly to the left of Sheffield?
Mercer is a better law school than Georgia State. In fact, Mercer probably best prepares attorneys for the actual practice of law than any school in the southeast.
Their Bar pass rates are almost always highest in the state and US News has voted their legal writing program the best in the nation.
Georgia State Law is the most disorganized, poorly run school out there and UGA law just seems to exist to turn shaggy haired frat boys in to attorneys.
“UGA law just seems to exist to turn shaggy haired frat boys in to attorneys.”
Would your rather us just turn them loose into the general population?
It does seem pretty clear that the GA Equality endorsement is really an anti-Sheffield thing.
“It does seem pretty clear that the GA Equality endorsement is really an anti-Sheffield thing.”
That is BS and you know it!! They are frightened of Sheffield and like Sara. They called Sara their candidate. They singled Sara and a judge in Dekalb out. Nice attempt at spin on the part of Sara supporters, but it won’t work!! Sara has the support of the pro gay, lesbian, bissexual and transgendered voters. There is a reason for that.. GA Equality would love to find a loophole in the Constitutional Ammendment we passed on gay marriage.
She has also been endorsed by the AJC.
“Two of our candidates for judge, Tangela Berrie in the DeKalb Superior Court race and Sara Doyle in the Georgia Court of Appeals race will be facing opponents in the runoff. “
I also remember reading a news story about this race. It listed some of the Republican attorney’s that had endorsed Sara. She made the comment not to conlcude that she was a Republican from her endorsements..
I’m not apologizing for my statement on Doyle. In fact, you guys should be apologizing for your silly endorsements of Doyle. I shall say it again; Doyle is a joke, Doyle is a joke, Doyle is a joke!!!
Ok, I am sorry for the last two comments that I posted.
Bill Simon:
ALL of your posts are idiotic, you hardly are in a position to criticize the posts of anyone else. Moreover, you couldn’t buy a clue about the qualifications for a judge if Icarus loaned you the money (or much else, for that matter).
Georgia and Georgia State are superior to Mercer, which is why the admissions criteria are higher, the acceptance rates are lower, and the longterm bar pass rate is higher. Moreover, if you look at the student body in the state schools, you’ll routinely find students that transferred from Mercer as quickly as they could. They don’t transfer in the other direction. Georgia, Georgia State, and Emory all have a long term pass rate that is better than Mercer.
mws,
HAHAHAHAHAHA. That was quite funny. Mercer is right up there. Of the four major law schools, it is by far the lowest ranked in Georgia in Bar passage rates.
Here is a list of them in descending Bar passage rate order:
http://www.ilrg.com/rankings/law/index.php/1/desc/Bar/2009
You will notice that Mercer is 69th out of 185, which is coincidentally Erick’s ranking as the most influencial conservative in the USA according to Top Men mack in England.
Emory is 19
Georgia State is 27
Georgia is 42
Mercer is 69
As ranked by LSAT Scores:
Emory is 27
Georgia is 34
Georgia State is 60
Mercer is 112
As ranked by acceptance rate:
Georgia State is 12
Georgia is 42
Emory is 48
Mercer is 80
As ranked by employment at 9 months:
Emory is 18
Georgia is 23
Georgia State is 26
Mercer is 78
So on what criteria, exactly is Mercer better than any law school in the state, save perhaps, and I do mean perhaps, John Marshall?
Debbie are You Homophobic? I’m straight and secure in my 28 year marriage. Let gays and lesbians marry it will have no effect on my marriage at all as I’m a straight and bothered heterosexual. http://www.genesimmons.com
Deb are you homophobic? What is your problem with gays and lesbians?
oh its certainly critical we know the name of the church she goes to, and her spouse is a boy named Jay, and is her ‘college sweetheart’.
Code: white, straight, christian = conservative, ergo perfect
BAM! race card played.
I am voting for Sheffield. However, I am basing this on the fact that I believe he is more conservative.
Many folks that go to Mercer would have easily gotten into UGA or GSU had they been a minority.
UGA is a solid school, but they are all about diveristy and will turn down quality students to achieve this goal. Additionally, they don’t give preference to those that attended UGA for undergrad. I have heard that they don’t want UGA undergrads. Also, unlike most state schools, they don’t give preference to in state students.
GSU is not a solid school and is only ranked above Mercer because it is dirt cheap. GSU is disorganized and not a good law school in my opinion.
In sum, just because someone went to Mercer doesn’t mean they less qualified than a UGA or GSU grad. Maybe they weren’t a minority or didn’t have connections. I would take a Mercer grad over a GSU grad any day of the week.
Besides, Maybe Doyle got a full ride a Mercer… Who knows.
If Perry Mcguire and debbie the bet welcher are for Sheffield I guess that means that people with common sense wont be voting for him.
People transfer from Mercer because it is a private school and much more expensive than a state school.
If Mercer was based in Atlanta and not Macon, their rankings would be much higher. But it is not in the Big City or a major university center so it gets short shrift. I would think that people would much rather live in a college town or Atlanta for 3 years than Macon, but then again, we aren’t all Erick either.
The Mercer attorneys at the three firms I’ve been with are usually smarter, work harder and are more effective than any GSU or UGA grads.
The acceptance rate at GSU is skewed because it is the most applied law school in the country because it costs nothing to go there. They get many more applications than anyone else and have to turn away a lot more. Of course, I know a kid at my current firm that applied there and never got a rejection or acceptance letter from the school. He ended up at Emory. Another GSU grad contacted them by phone to ask for his transcripts and 4 months later they arrived. It’s disgraceful how they operate.
Mercer did beat out GSU on this summer’s bar pass rates for this past summer.
http://www.gabaradmissions.org/pages/barstats.htm
Can’t UGA, GSU and Mercer law grads find common ground? I mean, at least we didn’t end up at Emory.
mws,
That is like saying that since Ohio State outscored LSU in the first quarter and tied them in the second half last year that Ohio State actually won even though LSU finsihed the game with 2 more touchdowns.
You can’t mine the data for the one data point that backs you up when you ignore the 999 others that go the other way.
Please let me indulge my data mining fantasies in an uphill battle against law school snobs.
I am not a snob. I think what school you go to, the grades you get while you are their and the accomplishments you do while in it are completely irrelevant to measuring the quality of a person. The only real test is real life experience.
That being said, you have to be the ultimate homer to think Mercer is a better school than any of the other big 4 schools in the state.
Go Sheffield!!!
Doug,
Did you even go to law school? People that didn’t go to law school don’t understand how competitive the entire process is (from admission to grades). If you haven’t been, I really don’t think you have a right to talk trash about schools.
Mercer normally has over 90% passage rate on the bar. It is not like UGA, GSU, Emory is having 95% and Mercer is 40% or something.
To be honest, the average Mercer student will have a lower LSAT and UGPA than a student at UGA or Emory. However, Mercer usually has about the same bar passage rate than those schools. I think this shows the quality of education at Mercer.
Additionally, you can’t deny that there are many at Emory and UGA simply because of their ancestory or connections.
“The only real test is real life experience.”
well that and your SAT score obviously…
SOW,
No, I did not go to law school, but one does not have to attend law school to read statistics. Did you overly defensive Mercer grads and students ever attend UGA Law, Georgia State or Emory?
I never said that Mercer is a trashy school, but pretty much every non opinion based statistics that is used to rank law schools has Mercer dead last among the major law schools in the state. You guys have said nothing more than silly anecdotes based on your own biased experiences.
This does not mean one cannot be capable and competent, but it is clear that you guys feel the need to trash Georgia State to validate the value of your own degrees.
Your degree, grades and school accomplishments are not where you should get your self worth; it should come from what you have accomplished in life. So, there is very little reason for any of you to be so defensive about your school, or to make such bombastic claims about it’s superiority.
Doug,
I am not being defensive about it. I agree that life accomplishments is what matters. So, why are you pointing out that Mercer is last in everything if you feel it does not matter? Yes, Mercer does rank below Emory and UGA (those schools are top 30 in the entire nation!!) I have had experiences with all three schools, and I stand by my statements. I know folks that could have went to GSU but went to Mercer instead– not everyone wants to go to school in downtown Atlanta.
You haven’t been to law school or even been involved in the process. Therefore, you have no clue what those statistics even mean. A point or two on the LSAT or a small difference in a GPA is big in the law school admission process. Law school admission is nothing like undergrad.
Yes, you can make comments all you want, but the truth is you don’t know what you are talking about. The differences aren’t as big as you make them out to be.
I am voting for Sheffield by the way.
What does a lawyer know about statistics? See, two can play that game, but it is foolish. You do not know what I have been exposed to. My wife is a lawyer, her mother is a now retired legal secretary from a major Atlanta law firm, and have probably read more about the law as a hobby than most lawyers read in their career.
The only thing I was doing was refuting the claims by mws about the supperiority of Mercer over Georgia State. I care about accuracy, something you Mercer folks don’t seem to care much about. Outside of that, I think pretty much all of you lawyer types are ethically challenged dweebs who are more of a burden on society than anything else. So I do nto rightly care who claims the title of “worst” law school, as I think you all win.
My wife is a lawyer, … and … I think pretty much all of you lawyer types are ethically challenged dweebs who are more of a burden on society than anything else.
Duly noted.
Dash, my wife agrees.
From what I understand, The Georgia Equality survey amounted to nothing more than this:
State your name
State your resume
What position are you running for?
Do you intend to discriminate against anyone on the basis of their sexual orientation?
Apparently, Doyle answered that last question as a “No.”
Yes, by ALL means, Debbie, we need to elect only those people who intend to discriminate against people.
Go back to Alabama, Debbie. We have more than enough ignorant buffons in Georgia.
Seriously Doug, you have a wife?
Next Comments →
Comments on this entry are closed.