A federal magistrate judge has ruled that Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat failed to comply with the requirements of a 2022 settlement agreement with some women incarcerated under his jurisdiction. Now both sides are waiting for an appeals court to determine what happens next. The agreement resulted from a 2019 class-action lawsuit filed on behalf […]
Criminal Justice
Posted inCop City
Lawmakers Table Ballot Referendum Ordinance, Angering Cop City Vote Backers
An anticipated Atlanta City Council vote on a ballot referendum ordinance backed by Stop Cop City activists was postponed on Monday after municipal attorneys raised concerns about whether the measure violates existing state law. The original legislation introduced by Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari on Jan. 8 would codify a process for Atlanta residents […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Incarceration
Pretrial Diversion: Ask Your Lawyer if You Qualify for Program to Dodge Trial
Whether you are paying for your own criminal defense lawyer or have been assigned a public defender, they will have to help you through the application process. Pretrial diversion programs redirect certain, usually first time, offenders away from the jailhouse and back into the community, often with community service as part of the requirements to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
The YSL Trial Isn’t Over Yet, Here’s What You Missed
Although Atlanta’s trial of the decade (at least, that is, until court proceedings begin against a certain former president) kicked off in 2023, its biggest moments will come in the new year. That’s because 2024 is when rapper Young Thug, given name Jeffery Lamar Williams, and his co-defendants will get their opportunity to defend themselves […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
The YSL Trial Is Finally Here
Besides the pending case against former President Donald Trump and 18 others for allegedly attempting to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results, the trial of rapper Young Thug — legal name Jeffery Lamar Williams — may be the most significant criminal proceeding in Atlanta since the public school cheating scandal nearly a decade ago. The trial, […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice
How to Get Free Legal Help in ATL
Legal aid services are for people who need legal assistance or representation but are unable to access it due to prohibitive costs. These services are primarily focused on civil legal matters because criminal prosecution in Georgia is handled by county district attorney’s offices with criminal defense for the indigent provided free of charge by the […]
Posted inCop City, Criminal Justice
Environmental Impact Targeted in New Push Against ‘Cop City’
Opponents of the developing Atlanta Public Safety Training Center have adopted a new strategy to stop the so-called “Cop City” from being built. Activists filed a complaint with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of External Civil Rights Compliance last week, arguing that the 85-acre site in unincorporated southern DeKalb County is damaging the ecosystem in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
‘Release the Tape!’ Johnny Hollman’s Relatives Bring Emotional Pleas to City Council
The Atlanta City Council on Monday called for police to release body camera video of Johnny Hollman’s fatal encounter with an officer, responding to nearly two months of passionate pleas from the 62-year-old church deacon’s relatives. The council members unanimously approved a resolution urging Mayor Andre Dickens and the Atlanta Police Department to release the […]
Posted inCop City
Lawmaker Nixes Plan to Introduce ‘Cop City’ Measure After City Attorney Input
The latest effort to let Atlanta voters weigh in on the public safety training center, dubbed “Cop City” by critics, via a ballot referendum was upended by municipal attorneys Monday afternoon, according to a lawmaker. Post 3 At-Large Atlanta City Council member Keisha Sean Waites said she and fellow lawmaker Liliana Bakhtiari had planned to […]
Posted inPublic Safety
AUC Students React to Jacksonville Mass Shooting, Local Bomb Threat
The past few days have been tense on HBCU campuses amid violent threats and increasing concerns about racist attacks. A white supremacist shot and killed three Black people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday — but he was first seen putting on a tactical vest on the campus of a nearby […]