Fulton County’s case against Donald Trump and his 2020 fake elector co-conspirators may be over, but the Georgia Republican Party’s examination of how District Attorney Fani Willis handled the case against the president appears to be ramping up. Willis’ attorney, former Gov. Roy Barnes, told members of the Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday that she […]
General Assembly
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
Georgia Senate District 35 Race Advances To Runoff
The special election to decide the next state lawmaker from Georgia Senate district 35 is headed to a runoff. Democrats Jaha Howard — a dentist from Smyrna — and former state Rep. Roger Bruce, who retired from the state House earlier this year, were the top two vote recipients on election night in a field […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘Married to Medicine’ Star Dr. Heavenly Kimes Announces Run for Office
As television cameras role on a new season of Bravo’s reality series Married to Medicine, some may be wondering if Dr. Heavenly Kimes’ announcement Monday that she’s running for office is just for show. The 54-year-old dentist, known for bringing the drama on the popular reality show for the past nine seasons, launched her campaign […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice
After Executing an Intellectually Disabled Man, Georgia Rewrote Its Death Penalty Law
Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill Tuesday that will transform how intellectual disability is handled in death penalty cases in Georgia. Now in alignment with 26 other states that still practice capital punishment, Georgia will require a judge to determine during a pretrial hearing whether a defendant is intellectually disabled or not. Prior to the […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Politics & Policy
BioLab Fined $61,000 After Georgia Lawmakers Fail to Pass Regulatory Legislation
This story was originally published on February 4, 2025, and has been updated. Kiya Stanford remembers clearly the fallout from the BioLab chemical fire that wrapped Conyers and surrounding areas in a cloud of toxic smoke in September. She recalls the pungent odor that lingered in the air for several days; the fear of exposure […]
Posted inHousing, Local Politics, Politics & Policy, State Politics
Atlanta Residents’ Calls for Rent Control Ignored by Lawmakers
Atlanta Housing Justice League Executive Director Alison Johnson expressed anger and regret on Monday after bills backed by her organization failed to advance before the legislature’s Thursday Crossover Day deadline. Failure to pass related bills in the state House or the state Senate by the end of Crossover Day means it’s unlikely Georgia’s legislature will pass […]
Posted inEducation
Republicans Pull the Plug on Senate Bill Banning DEI in Georgia Schools — for Now
Georgia Democrats celebrated late Thursday night after state Senate Republicans tabled a bill that would’ve pulled government funding from public schools and colleges that maintain diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Senate Bill 120 made headlines earlier this week after it advanced out of committee, sparking fears among some that initiatives aimed at increasing and promoting […]
Posted inHousing, Politics & Policy, State Politics
The Rent Is Too Damn High. Will Georgia Lawmakers Do Anything About It?
Black Atlantans and housing justice advocates have spent the past few years begging state lawmakers to do more to address housing-related issues like affordable housing shortages, rising rents, and low levels of homeownership among Black families. In response, Georgia Democrats — who had difficulty turning out Black voters in November — made addressing housing issues […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Public Services, State Politics
What Georgia Lawmakers Are Doing About Your Sky-High Utility Bills
Ariana Brazier is sick of paying sky-high light bills. The 31-year-old Decatur resident said she’s seen her Georgia Power electric bill surge from about $90 a month in 2023 to roughly $300 a month this year. The added financial stress has left her in a “constant panic” over ways to reduce her expenses. She’s one […]
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 […]