HAPPENING TODAY: Kemp to sign bill expanding state oversight on local prosecutors
GA GOP joins nationwide crackdown on progressive prosecutors
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Friday is set to sign a measure creating a state panel with powers to investigate, discipline and even remove local prosecutors deemed as unfit for office.
Senate Bill 92, which passed roughly along party lines this legislative session, quickly won the support of Kemp and other top state Republicans as part of their push to crack down on violent crime. They say that prosecutors should face some form of state oversight just as judges do.
The governor will sign the bill at the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office in Savannah over objections from his Democratic rivals who view the move as a “power grab” and an assault on local control. The bill is seen as retaliation towards left-leaning district attorneys who have refused to prosecute abortion cases and low-level drug offenses.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, one of the most prominent critics of the bill, has slammed the effort as racist, highlighting the recent increase in the number of district attorneys who are minorities.
Willis has also raised questions about the timing of these measures. She is currently in the middle of investigating former President Donald Trump and his inner circle’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. A grand jury recently wrapped up its work on the investigation and Willis has suggested that indictments could come as early as July.
But Republican supporters of the bill have hardly mentioned Willis during debates. They have instead invoked both current and former prosecutors from both parties who have faced accusations of misconduct and mismanaging their offices.
The most frequent example has been Athens DA Debroah Gonzalez, who was elected in 2020 on a progressive platform that included ending cash bail, not using the death penalty and refusing to prosecute small drug offenses.
Republican lawmakers have criticized Gonzalez for a series of problems, including missed court deadlines, a mass staff turnover and a case backlog. Gonzalez has said that she is losing staff to other DA offices that offer better pay and has pleaded with the Athens-Clarke County Commission to increase salaries in her office.
Republicans have invoked prosecutors from within their own party during debate as well, including Dick Donovan — a former Paulding County DA who was suspended from office after pleading guilty to bribery stemming from a sexual misconduct case.
Under the bill, complaints against Georgia DAs could be filed as early as October.
With today’s bill signing, Georgia is joining a growing list of Republican-controlled states attempting to rein in left-leaning local prosecutors. In Missouri, St. Louis’ progressive prosecutor announced her resignation this week after accusations of mismanagement and “chronic staffing issues.” The state’s Republican-dominated legislature had threatened to take over both the St. Louis prosecutor’s office and the police department.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year removed Tampa prosecutor Andrew Warren from office for taking a stance against the state’s new laws curtailing abortion and transgender healthcare. Pennsylvania Republicans voted to impeach Philadelphia’s district attorney amid a rise in violent crime.