Ups, Downs and In-betweens

Plea Deals: The scheduled October trials of attorneys Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, two of former President Donald Trump’s co-defendants in Fulton County’s RICO prosecution, were cancelled when they decided to plead guilty. The pair had requested an early trial date, and the jury selection process had already begun when Chesebro’s deal was announced shortly after Powell’s. The two agreed to testify against their co-defendants, who include Trump, his attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

Powell pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor counts and Chesebro pleaded guilty to a felony count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents, as part of a scheme to overturn the valid results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Former Trump campaign attorney Jenna Ellis also accepted a plea deal in October.

The plea deals put additional pressure on Trump and, according to a USA Today analysis, serves to “bolster the weapons in [the] prosecutors’ toolbox.” CNN reports prosecutors have discussed potential plea deals with at least six additional co-defendants.

Wellspring Award: Attorney General Chris Carr received the Wellspring Living Courage Award, presented by Delta Air Lines and UPS, in recognition of the work he and his office have done to promote justice for sex trafficking victims.

In accepting the award, Carr said that his office’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit rescued and assisted 116 victims last year and noted that the unit “has successfully located and rescued missing children while identifying and prosecuting those who bought and sold them for sex.”

The unit was created in 2019 with the support of Gov. Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp, co-chair of the GRACE Commission, formed to combat human trafficking in Georgia.

No Paper Ballots: The Georgia State Election Board unanimously rejected a proposal to allow the use of hand-marked ballots in polling places in lieu of touchscreens. The Coalition for Good Governance sought the change that would have permitted the use of both methods.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has come out against using paper ballots, saying they would increase the error rate in voting tabulations.

Abortion Law Upheld: The Georgia Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the state’s anti-abortion law that was brought by the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective and others, contesting the 2019 “heartbeat” law that bans abortions at about six weeks, or when doctors can detect fetal cardiac activity – before many women know they are pregnant.

The state constitution requires that statutes not violate existing law; since the U.S. Supreme Court had not removed federal abortion protections at the time the state law was passed, plaintiffs held that abortion was legal then and that the Georgia measure should not stand. Six of the seven justices on Georgia’s highest court disagreed, saying they were obligated to apply the U.S. Supreme Court’s newest interpretation of the federal law.

New Dalton State President: John Fuchko III was named president of Dalton State College this fall by the Board of Regents, after serving as interim president in June, following the retirement of Margaret Venable. Fuchko, a native Georgian, joined the University System of Georgia in 2006 and was previously interim president at Columbus State University.

Dickens to Head ARC Board: Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens will become the 2024 board chair for the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) on January 1. He was nominated in October when Chair Kerry Armstrong indicated he would not run for another term, according to The Saporta Report, which notes that Dickens is the first Atlanta mayor to serve as chair in the history of the ARC. The commission, one of 12 in the state, is the official planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for the 11-county Atlanta area.

State Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell)

State Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell), photo: Georgia State Senate.

Another Jail Investigation: State Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell), chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee, has appointed a subcommittee to investigate the Fulton County Jail, where some 10 people died during the first nine months of 2023. The subcommittee will look into causes of and solutions for problems at the jail.

This follows an announcement earlier this year of a federal probe. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Department of Justice is investigating the situation at the jail, including living conditions, medical and mental healthcare, use of excessive force and protection from violence.