Georgia prosecutors plagued by controversies ahead of tough races
Athens, Savannah DAs beset by staff shortages, low convictions
Athens District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez and Savannah District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones both made history with their 2020 victories. But both of their offices have faced several unflattering news headlines that could threaten their re-election chances.
The two embattled Georgia prosecutors have been plagued by controversies ranging from staff turnovers, case backlogs, low conviction rates, poor work environments, and criticism from judges and state leaders as they both gear up for tough fights to hold onto their jobs.
Gonzalez became the state’s first Hispanic District Attorney with her 2020 victory in Athens after campaigning on a progressive platform in the liberal college community. She has refused to prosecute small drug offenses and has called for an end to both cash bail and the death penalty.
But the Athens DA’s office has been understaffed, which many believe is contributing to case backlogs and heavy workloads. Gonzalez herself has been locked in a legal battle with an Athens business owner, who had filed a lawsuit claiming that the DA is “unable and unwilling” to properly do her job. Things escalated over the summer when attorneys for the business owner moved to seek a warrant for Gonzalez’s arrest, accusing her of trying to destroy documents in violation of state record laws.
DA Gonzalez has acknowledged the staffing shortage, saying earlier this year that only eight of her office’s 17 assistant prosecutor positions had been filled. But she says that she is losing staff because other DA offices are offering better pay and has urged Athens-Clarke County officials to increase salaries in her office. “I cannot dictate how much I can pay my people,” Gonzalez said.
Down in Savannah, Cook Jones made history of her own when she won office in 2020, becoming the Hostess City’s first Black female DA. But her office has been grappling with some of the same issues facing Gonzalez.
The Chatham County DA’s office has reportedly lost 25 assistant prosecutors since Cook Jones was elected. Some of those former employees have accused her office of fostering a poor workplace environment, with one claiming in a lawsuit that she was passed over for a promotion because of her gender and that she faced discrimination because she has a disability. She also says she was fired after raising concerns about an alleged “bro culture” at work.
And Savannah’s 32% homicide conviction rate is among the lowest in the state, an investigation found. Whereas prosecutors in Atlanta-area Fulton and DeKalb counties have been scoring convictions in nearly 90 percent of their murder cases, according to WSB-TV.
Like Gonzalez, DA Cook Jones has admitted that her office is struggling financially and says she would like to have access to more resources. As for murder convictions, she has attributed the low numbers to incomplete case files and poor communication between law enforcement agencies. Investigators have proposed a “quality control plan” to help improve the county’s conviction rate.
Both Cook Jones and Gonzalez have been rebuked by a number of high-ranking officials, from state lawmakers to judges and even police officers. In Athens, all four Superior Court judges in Gonzalez’s office signed a letter urging the DA to address the concerns facing her staff. One police sergeant wrote an email expressing his “absolute disgust” with Gonzalez after her office dismissed a rape case, which a judge has since assigned to a different prosecutor.
Cook Jones was sanctioned by a federal judge last month after refusing to appear for a deposition in the workplace discrimination lawsuit. In a scathing 50-page decision, U.S. District Judge R. Stan Baker blasted the DA’s attempts to avoid appearing in court as “utter nonsense built on fabrications.” Citing conflicting trial dates, Cook Jones unsuccessfully moved to delay her deposition in the lawsuit but still failed to appear. “Cook Jones’ pattern of compounding and willful failures demand significant sanctions,” Judge Baker said. “Defendant Shalena Cook Jones leaves the Court no choice.”
Both have also been top targets for state Republican legislators, who recently passed a bill creating a new outside panel to discipline “rouge” prosecutors. Gonzalez, who has blasted the law as a political stunt, was frequently invoked as an example of why the law was needed. And Gov. Brian Kemp’s signing ceremony for the bill did not take place in his hometown of Athens, but in Cook Jones’ backyard — the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, to be exact.
Looming over all of this is the upcoming election, when both prosecutors will be on the ballot for a second term. And they have both already drawn challengers: two of Cook Jones’ former assistant prosecutors are running against their ex-boss, and an Athens defense attorney plans to run as a non-partisan candidate against Gonzalez next year.
But the long list of controversies facing both incumbents could complicate what are already turbulent paths to a second term.