CopyCited 23 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Jan 24, 1994 | 263 Ga. 734, 94 Fulton County D. Rep. 319
...imately to decide if the officer will or will not be recalled is not unconstitutional. "We conclude, in sum, that the [recall] statute affords adequate due process protection to the public official...." Eaves v. Harris, supra at 4-5 (2) (b). 2. OCGA §
21-4-14 (a) provides limitations as to the filing of additional petitions for recall after a recall election has been held. OCGA §
21-4-14 (b) prohibits the filing of another application within six months after a recall petition has been found to be insufficient....
...Res judicata does not attach to a judicial ruling which "points out a defect in form rather than a defect in substance. [Cit.]" Westbrook v. Griffin,
27 Ga. App. 290 (1) (108 SE 123) (1921). Under the statutory recall scheme enacted by the legislature, it is only the provisions of OCGA §
21-4-14, not the doctrine of res judicata, which operate as a constraint upon the initiation of a subsequent recall effort....
CopyPublished | Supreme Court of Georgia | Nov 13, 1995 | 463 S.E.2d 124
...filed new applications to initiate another recall drive against the same council members. On April 10, 1995, Baker issued the recall applications at issue here.
1. The council members contend that this recall effort should be enjoined because OCGA §
21-4-14 (b) prevents the issuance of any further application for recall against the same officer until at least six months have elapsed from the date of the finding of insufficiency of the prior petition. This argument ignores the plain language of §
21-4-14 (b)....
...Thus, a judicial determination that the recall petition was issued in violation of the Recall Act is not a bar to a subsequent petition.3 In this case, because a trial court and not the elections superintendent held that the initial recall petition was invalid, §
21-4-14 (b) is inapplicable....
...the first recall petitions was based upon findings of improper conduct that are beyond the scope of the statutory review the elections superintendent may take.5
For these reasons, the second petition was not subject to the time proscription in OCGA §
21-4-14 (b) and the trial court correctly de*860nied the injunction.
Decided November 13, 1995.
Jones, Byington, Durham & Payne, Frank H....