Cathleen Latham

Cathleen A. Latham is an American teacher and political activist. She is a member of the Georgia Republican Party's executive committee and the former chairwoman of the Coffee County Republican Party. She is known for her involvement in the 2020 election interference case in the U.S. state of Georgia, where she was indicted along with former President Donald Trump and 17 others.

Personal life and career

Latham is a Texas native who has spent her career in education at Coffee High School in Georgia. She began her teaching career as an English teacher, but transitioned to teaching economics after a colleague's unexpected retirement. Latham has been teaching economics full-time since 2006 and her students consistently achieve the highest scores in the district on state standardized tests. She has been active with GCEE, participating in their workshops for over 10 years, serving on some of their sister organization boards, and taking her students to the first annual Personal Finance Challenge in Atlanta.

Involvement in 2020 election

During the 2020 elections in Georgia and their aftermath, Latham was a member of the Georgia Republican Party's executive committee and sat on its election confidence task force. She was one of the "fake electors" who signed unauthorized certificates in a bid to keep Trump in power after his 2020 election defeat.

2020 absentee voting lawsuit

In December 2020, Latham was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and members of the Georgia State Election Board. The lawsuit, filed by the 12th congressional district's Republican Committee, sought to invalidate certain rules related to absentee voting in Georgia. Latham, a member of the Republican Party who had been selected to appear as a member of the Republican presidential elector slate on the November 3 general election ballot, claimed that the rules facilitated ballot harvesting and vote fraud, and violated her rights as a voter who votes in person. The case was dismissed with prejudice by the district court. The lawsuit was part of a wave of legal actions stemming from the 2020 elections.

2023 indictment for racketeering

In August 2023, Latham was indicted in Georgia for racketeering, over alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. She was one of the false electors who met to cast their votes for then-President Donald Trump, something the Jan. 6 Committee proved was part of a larger failed conspiracy to replace the lawful electors for Biden in several key states, including Georgia, with Trump electors. On September 29, 2023, a federal court rejected the request. On October 6, 2023, the decision was appealed, and on October 24, 2024, the decision was upheld.

Donald Trump was re-elected president in 2024. In 2025, he pardoned all defendants in the racketeering case, including Latham. The pardon only extends to potential federal charges and not state charges.