A federal judge on Thursday dismissed Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr’s lawsuit against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones that sought to block his gubernatorial rival from raising unlimited cash for his campaign.
United States District Judge Victoria Marie Calvert ruled Carr and his campaign “lack standing” to sue because they mounted a lawsuit against Jones and his campaign for “doing exactly what Georgia law allows them to do.”
Jones has used his leadership committee to fundraise for his campaign ahead of the 2026 primary election, in which Jones and Carr are competing to succeed term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA). Carr sued Jones earlier this month, arguing that the leadership committee funds his rival used under the umbrella of a 2021 law put his campaign at an unfair disadvantage.
However, by blaming Jones for the funding disparity rather than directly attacking the constitutionality of the fundraising law itself, Carr asked the court “to twist itself into a logical pretzel,” the judge wrote.
The court ruling marks the latest political boost for Jones, who captured President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the gubernatorial race roughly two weeks ago.
Calvert’s decision means Jones will be able to continue taking advantage of a law containing a provision allowing certain elected officials, including lieutenant governors, to form leadership committees that can raise unlimited funds to finance a campaign.
Carr is not eligible to form a leadership committee under the law. His regular campaign committee is limited to raising $8,400 from each donor for his primary campaign, as well as $4,200 for any primary runoff.
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Carr had argued in previous court filings that “Jones is raising and spending unlimited amounts of money in the primary, and Mr. Carr is limited in what he can raise by Georgia’s existing campaign contribution limits.”
“This Court should level this uneven playing field by preventing Mr. Jones from using his leadership committee during the primary election,” he urged.