JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Democratic and non-partisan Fulton County candidates gathered for a town hall in Alpharetta on Tuesday in advance of Georgia's General Primary Election.
One of the county's upcoming elections involves a race against current Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee. His opponents did not show up to the town hall, but 11Alive spoke with him about the pressure he's facing in light of the big-name cases he's presiding over.
McAfee was thrust into the national spotlight when he became the judge overseeing Georgia's 2020 election interference case involving former President Donald Trump. He also was the one who determined the outcome of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' disqualification hearing.
In general, the superior court judge has a lot on his plate when looking ahead to the November election. He wouldn't discuss either case in detail but addressed the possibility of a trial before the presidential election.
"With scheduling and where we are with the motions practice and everything else, that's something where we're going to have to talk with all the parties," McAfee said. "There's a lot of moving parts. And in the case, we're still working on it every day."
He said the pressure he's facing comes with the job.
"You have to make a ruling one way or another. You can't expect to make both sides happy. In fact, you rarely do because you have to make a decision," McAfee said.
McAfee said he's proud of the work he's done despite any criticism he may have received. For example, during the town hall, he was asked about the backlog of criminal cases. There are reports that defendants are waiting for months in jail for their day in court. He addressed this, but when asked how he would fix it, he stood strong on what he'd already done.
"I had over 100 people waiting in jail for their day in court. I just ran the numbers today; I'm down to 35. I had 53 pending murder cases. I'm now down to 20. We're cracking away at it," he stated.
Now, he's focusing on his own race as the primaries are McAfee's first full-term election. With the May primary around the corner, he wants voters to know that he's working to ensure he's balancing his work and that cases receive the same attention needed.
"I've got 400 other cases that I'm managing as well," McAfee said. "And I'm trying to give those just the same sense of urgency and importance as anything else on my docket."
McAfee said his goal is to make Fulton County the best judicial circuit in the state.
Early voting started Monday and will continue until May 21.