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Georgia lawmakers poised to create oversight panel with power to remove local prosecutors
Momentum continues to build in the Georgia Legislature for a proposed law that could allow state officials to remove district attorneys from office for misconduct. The Georgia House moved a step closer this week to establishing a prosecutor oversight commission, the first of its kind in Georgia, as the House Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill […]
Trump lawyers try to smother Fulton grand jury report on 2020 election interference
Former president Donald Trump has launched a legal challenge to block the release of the Fulton County special grand jury report and stop the district attorney from pursuing criminal charges against him, his inner circle and other supporters connected to interference in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election. Trump’s attorneys filed a motion in Fulton County Superior […]
Online sports betting back on the table as Georgia lawmakers hijack soapbox derby bill
A late entry in the 2023 legislative session revived hopes for supporters of sports betting in Georgia. There are five chances left for the full chambers of the Georgia Senate and House to vote on online sports betting legislation that was given new life last week when a Senate panel hijacked a bill intended to […]
Georgia House panel hears district attorneys debate need for state oversight of county prosecutors
Georgia district attorneys faced off Wednesday over a proposed state-appointed commission that could remove prosecutors from office for abuse of power or negligence in pursuing some cases. Douglas County and Coweta County district attorneys were among the witnesses to testify Wednesday at an two hour meeting before a House Judiciary subcommittee that is expected to […]
Georgia House panel OKs Senate bill to restrict outside money for local governments to run elections
A Georgia House panel Tuesday advanced legislation that prohibits local government officials from directly receiving donations from outside organizations to administer elections after accusations millions of dollars were unfairly given to Democratic-leaning counties during the 2020 election cycle. Senate Bill 222 was approved by the House State and Local Government Subcommittee on Tuesday with the […]
Georgia House panel advances Kemp-backed bill to toughen gang penalties
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s gang crackdown legislation is on track to become the first tough-on-crime law to move through the Georgia Legislature in 2023. The Kemp-backed Senate Bill 44 was advanced by a House judiciary subcommittee on Monday by a party line vote, creating a mandatory five-year prison sentence for gang-related offenses and adding another […]
Georgia GOP lawmakers aim to continue tough-on-crime push as legislative calendar winds down
Georgia’s legislators head into the final stretch of a 2023 session with a number of tough-on-crime bills that will escalate criminal penalties for unruly protesters, misdemeanor offenses and street gangs and shift the balance of power of prosecutors and judges. Several Republican-backed law-and-order bills cleared the March 6 deadline for legislation to advance to the […]
Georgia courts still struggle with pandemic-era backlogs, state Supreme Court Chief Justice says
In spite of significantly fewer felony arrests in Fulton County during the pandemic, Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Boggs said Wednesday that Fulton’s 18,000 pending felony cases illustrate the severity of the strain placed on a number of judicial systems as large case backlogs threaten to take years to get settled. During his State […]
Crossover Day wrap: Flurry of bills passed at pivotal deadline
Dozens of bills cleared a key legislative deadline Monday, with some controversial measures – like a ban on some gender-affirming care – squeaking by as the clock wound down. And in the House, it was notable what didn’t come up for a vote at all: sports betting. The bill likely represented the last shot this […]
Bigger rig trucks for Georgia highways on the move in 2023 state Legislature
Rep. Spencer Frye, a Democrat from Athens, said Tuesday that the frets over the safety perils of bigger rig trucks on Georgia roads are likely overblown. Frye backed a bipartisan split measure sponsored by Republican Stephen Meeks passed by a 93-81 vote, which would extend higher weight limits for commercial trucks imposed by executive orders […]
GOP-controlled Georgia House pushes through bill to create oversight of county prosecutors
Georgia’s GOP-controlled House passed controversial legislation 98-75 late on Tuesday’s Crossover Day that would establish oversight boards that could remove district attorneys deemed to neglect select prosecutions. Dallas Republican Rep. Joseph Gullett’s House Bill 231 would require the Georgia Supreme Court to appoint five-member investigation panels and three-member hearing panels that will determine disciplinary consequences […]
School vouchers, election laws, gender-affirming care on agenda as lawmakers race to beat the clock
It’s crunch time under the Gold Dome. After a slow start, lawmakers have shifted gears in the ramp up to a key legislative deadline Monday, when a bill must clear at least one chamber to have the smoothest path to the governor’s desk. Lawmakers will weigh in on dozens of bills in a marathon day […]