GA Rep. Dies After Battle With Cancer

ATLANTA, GA — Georgia Rep. Mandi L. Ballinger, R-Canton, has died after a "long and courageous" battle with cancer, House Speaker Jon Burns announced Sunday.

Ballinger represented Georgia's District 23 and was chairperson of the Judiciary Juvenile Committee. She has been seated as a Georgia representative since Jan. 14, 2013, and her district included Canton and Waleska.

She was married to State Court Judge Allen Morris and had a son, Burns said. She also worked as a business consultant, according to her profile.

Burns did not specify the type of cancer Ballinger faced or exactly when she died.

"For over a decade, Chairlady Ballinger served our state and her community with unwavering resilience and the utmost dedication," Burns tweeted. "Her commitment to advocating on behalf of the most vulnerable among us, including children and survivors of domestic violence, has certainly left an indelible mark on countless lives across the entire state of Georgia."

He added Ballinger's impact went beyond the Georgia Capitol, saying "Chairlady Ballinger will be greatly missed by each of us who had the profound honor of serving alongside her, and all those who knew and loved her."

In her political role, Ballinger served on the following committees: appropriations, budget and fiscal affairs oversight, judiciary non-civil, reapportionment and redistricting, rules and transportation.

Locally, she served on the Boards of Cherokee Focus and the Children's Haven, according to her biography.

Gov. Brian Kemp said Ballinger's work on the House Judiciary Juvenile Committee had a considerable impact. He called her "a passionate leader who was respected across the political aisle as an advocate for justice in our state."

Late House Speaker David Ralston previously appointed Ballinger to the Georgia Commission on Domestic Violence, the Georgia Child Fatality Review Board and the Georgia Council for Interstate Juvenile Supervision, according to her biography.

Georgia's Council of Juvenile Court Judges previously honored her with the Martha K. Glazebrook Award for her work on juvenile justice issues, according to her biography.