David Ralston

During the 2020 U.S. coronavirus pandemic, Ralston strongly opposed expanding use of mail-in ballots, under the reasoning that it would increase turnout and hurt Republican candidates. According to Ralston, "This will be extremely devastating to Republicans and conservatives in Georgia. Every registered voter is going to get one of these. … This will certainly drive up turnout."

In April 2019, an independent researcher reviewed Ralston's court cases across eight counties and found that from 2010 through 2019, Ralston delayed 226 cases a total of 966 times. Multiple attorneys wrote formal complaints to various judges regarding Ralston's delays. In response, Ralston said that the researcher "does not understand the legal system or the criminal justice system... [and] didn't have anything critical to say about my performance as speaker."

On February 25, 2019, Ralston declared in an "emotional" speech to the Georgia House that he would establish a bipartisan panel to look into how the law should be changed; he also stated that as an attorney, he would not accept any new criminal cases for now. Ralston's speech received a standing ovation. Representative Scot Turner applauded the move to change the law, but said that Ralston still has "a lack of recognition that his actions have caused people harm."

The panel returned a draft law which would allow attorneys and their clients to oppose similar requests for leave, leaving it to the judge to determine the best course of action. The draft was introduced as House Bill 502 and it became law on May 7, 2019. Speaking to the Augusta Chronicle, Ralston said that "to the extent there's a perception that's a problem, then I think we've dealt with it." However, the AJC reported skepticism of the new law due to the fact that "judges have already had the ability to push back on the speaker, but rarely did".

In February 2019, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WSB-TV reported that Ralston regularly uses his position as Speaker to benefit his Blue Ridge-based private law practice. A 1905 state law (O.C.G.A. § 17-8-26) requires judges and prosecutors to defer to the schedules of any member of the General Assembly who is also a practicing lawyer, and as Speaker, Ralston may claim scheduling conflicts any time of year. By delaying court cases in this manner, Ralston is able to keep his clients free on bond for months or even years, while also weakening court cases over time by letting memories fade and evidence expire. Some of Ralston's clients claim to have retained him specifically for these reasons.

In 2016, Ralston and the State Bar of Georgia reached a settlement, with the Bar issuing a minor reprimand and Ralston admitting to inadvertently breaking Bar rules, ending a years-long dispute. He had previously faced disbarment.

Many other state representatives expressed support for Ralston; after the allegations surfaced, at a closed-door meeting of Republicans at the Capitol, Ralston received a "spontaneous" round of applause. House majority whip Trey Kelley of Cedartown (16th district) stated "[i]t's really unfair to the Speaker, because he also has a pretty important duty and an absolute right of privilege that exists between him and his client." Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones of Milton (47th district) called Ralston a "man of integrity." Kasey Carpenter of Dalton (4th district) said Ralston "operated within the confines of the law. If you don't like the law, let's change the law." Ringgold representative Dewayne Hill (3rd district) said, "I hate that this is all coming about... This takes away from us doing and concentrating on the people's needs."

On February 22, after more than a week of relative silence from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers—due to what the AJC calls "a reluctance seemingly rooted in Ralston's substantial political power"—state representative David Clark of Buford (98th district) introduced a resolution in the Georgia House (HR 328) calling on Ralston to resign as Speaker, saying he felt "betrayed" and stating that Ralston "absolutely abused his power. He used his seat, and he's hurting people." Out of 180 total members, just nine other state representatives, all Republicans, signed Clark's resolution:

The original law allowing this was amended over a century later in 2006 by SB 503. Previously, the law allowed representatives to delay court hearings only during the legislative session and for the following three weeks. A committee was formed to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of SB 503, and Ralston himself was named a member. His exact role in crafting the current law's language is unknown.

From 1992 to 1998, he served as a member of the Georgia Senate. In 1998, Ralston was the Republican nominee for Attorney General of Georgia, but he lost the election to Thurbert Baker. In 2002, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives for the 7th district. He became its Speaker in 2010, following the resignation of Glenn Richardson. As such, he is the first state House Speaker from north Georgia in more than 150 years.

Griffin representative Karen Mathiak (73rd district) initially signed the resolution, but later removed her signature.

David Ralston (born March 14, 1954) is an attorney and a Republican member of the Georgia House of Representatives for the 7th district, encompassing parts of Dawson County, Fannin County, and Gilmer County. Since January 11, 2010, he has served as the 73rd Speaker of the Georgia House.

Gainesville representatives Emory Dunahoo (30th district) and Lee Hawkins (27th district) both said they were withholding judgment for now.