Nate Mingo knew the havoc that missing a court date wreaked on the lives of residents in his suburban Atlanta community. He understood the prospect of a driver’s license suspension or jail detention — and how either consequence could jeopardize one’s employment and significantly worsen their legal troubles. As Riverdale’s director of court services, Mingo also […]
Courts
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Incarceration
One Year After Controversial Execution, Georgia Looks to Reform Death Penalty Laws
Georgia made national headlines last year when the state executed Willie James Pye, a man who multiple expert witnesses had deemed intellectually disabled. Pye and two other people had been convicted of the 1996 murder, kidnapping, rape, and robbery of his ex-girlfriend, Alicia Yarbrough, in Spaulding County. Anti-death penalty advocates worked diligently to get Pye […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Juvenile Justice
School Safety Bill SB 61 May Send More Black Kids to Adult Court
A school safety bill introduced in response to the Apalachee High School shooting in September got a major change after advocates warned that it would unfairly criminalize children. Senate Bill 61, authored by state Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican from Forsyth County, was initially written to add both terroristic acts and terroristic threats against a […]
Posted inCop City, Courts, Politics & Policy, Public Safety
Family of Slain ‘Stop Cop City’ Activist Sues in Pursuit of Answers
The parents of an activist fatally shot by the Georgia State Patrol SWAT team in 2023 have filed a lawsuit against three law enforcement officers that they say violated their child’s First and Fourth Amendment rights. Manuel Esteban Paez Terán — better known as Tortuguita — was a 26-year-old nonbinary environmental activist who was protesting the […]
Posted inCourts, Incarceration
Overcrowded and Deadly: Fulton Jail Inmates Left Vulnerable as Aid Ends
Stanlecia Johnson is still dealing with the fallout of a brief stint in jail nearly six months ago, an ordeal that threw her life into disarray. The grandmother of four was brought to Fulton County Jail after being arrested for aggravated assault in May. Unable to post bail, she was held in jail for two […]
Posted inCourts, Mental Health, Reproductive Health
Georgia Is One of the Most Unsafe States to Give Birth. Abortion Limits Make It Worse.
In spite of recent reporting that directly links Georgia’s abortion restriction with the deaths of two Black women, the state Supreme Court’s decision earlier this month to temporarily reinstate the law while an appeal is in progress did not surprise leaders at the forefront of the state’s reproductive justice movement. Last month, ProPublica reported on […]
Posted inCourts, Elections, Politics & Policy, Voting
How Georgia’s Black Voters Could Be Impacted by the Election Rules Decision
A Fulton County Superior Court judge is expected to decide before Election Day whether two of the state’s controversial new election rules should be allowed to stand ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump — a case that has major implications for Black voters in Georgia, according to voting […]
Posted inCourts, Politics & Policy
Fani Willis Refuses to Testify in Front of Senate Committee Investigating Her
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis defied a subpoena to turn over documents and testify in front of the Georgia Senate Special Committee on Investigations Friday morning. Last week, Willis’ attorney, former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, filed an appeal in Fulton County Superior Court asking for an injunction to block the subpoena. A ruling wasn’t […]
Posted inCourts, Elections, Politics & Policy
How to Fight Back Against Controversial State Election Board Rule Changes
Georgia voting rights advocates are encouraging members of the public who oppose recent changes to the state’s election rules to make their voices heard at Gov. Brian Kemp’s office and during the next State Election Board meeting on Sept. 20. Three Donald Trump-supporting members of the State Election Board — Janelle King, Rick Jeffares, and […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice
‘Cop City’ Judge Calls Mishandled Evidence by State AG ‘Gross Negligence’
Prosecutors from the state attorney general’s office got a tongue-lashing from Fulton Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams on Wednesday for saying it was a mistake that they mishandled privileged attorney-client emails that were collected as evidence in the case against activists opposed to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, also known as “Cop City.” […]
