Ups, Downs and In-betweens
Big Payout: Former New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani, who was an attorney for former President Donald Trump, has been ordered to turn over assets including his New York apartment, a vintage Mercedes-Benz and sports memorabilia, to two Georgia election workers. Giuliani was found guilty in 2023 of defaming Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss and ordered to pay them more than $148 million. He turned over some items, including the car, but is still disputing aspects of the order. The order stems from the false statements Giuliani spread, accusing the women of fraudulent activity in the 2020 election.
Abortion Back and Forth: The Georgia Supreme Court has reinstated the state’s six-week abortion ban, at least temporarily, while it considers an appeal. Six justices backed the decision to block Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney’s September ruling to overturn the 2019 ban. McBurney wrote that the Georgia Constitution protects the rights of “a woman to control her own body, to decide what happens to it and in it, and to reject state interference with her healthcare choices.” Before the ban was reinstated, abortions were allowed up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. The 2019 law took effect in 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court ended the federal right to abortion.
Clearing the Air: Rockdale County officials have filed a federal lawsuit against chemical plant BioLab, after a September fire spewed a chemical haze into the air that covered the surrounding area with a murky, toxic plume. County schools were closed for weeks, thousands of nearby residents were evacuated and those who stayed were told to remain indoors. The suit demands significant compensation for damages and asks that BioLab be permanently closed.
Pierce County pecan orchard damage from Hurricane Helene. Photo credit: UGA Pecan Extension
Helene Recovery: While the focus of Hurricane Helene recovery efforts has rightfully been on the devastation in Florida and North Carolina, Georgia farmers are also suffering. Early estimates find the storm caused around $6.5 billion in damage to farms and state agriculture staples including pecans, poultry, blueberries and timber. That’s three times the losses from Hurricane Michael in 2018. It could take up to a decade to restore the mature pecan trees destroyed in the storm.
Christian College Sues State: Luther Rice College and Seminary in Lithonia has sued the Georgia Student Finance Commission for discrimination. The school says the commission discriminates against its students by not allowing them to receive state financial aid, including the HOPE scholarship, which is available at public and most private colleges in Georgia except for those of theology or divinity. The Alliance Defending Freedom filed the complaint on the basis that withholding aid to religious schools is unconstitutional.
Board Appointments: Gov. Brian Kemp has announced more than 100 board and commission appointments, including to the Georgia Maternal and Infant Health Advisory Commission. Appointments to that board include Dr. Keisha Callins, an ob-gyn and public health expert; Dr. Amanda “Shea” Evans, a board-certified neonatologist; and Shannon Mayfield, a nurse midwife. The commission will guide policy on perinatal health, which is vital in a state that ranks among the worst in the U.S. for maternal/infant health.
Inaugural Planning: Georgia’s former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler will co-chair President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural committee. She was among Trump’s top campaign donors and could be a contender for a position in his administration. Loeffler was appointed to the senate by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2019 and defeated by Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in 2021.
Hemp Act: The Georgia Hemp Farming Act went into effect Oct. 1, 2024. It requires hemp retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers to be licensed by the state. In addition, it is a crime to sell consumable hemp products to anyone under age 21 or for anyone under 21 to purchase them. This act has no impact on people with qualifying medical conditions under the medical cannabis program.
Women’s Sports: The University System of Georgia Board of Regents voted to ask the NCAA and the National Junior College Athletic Association to ban transgender women athletes from competition in women’s college sports. In a unanimous vote, the board requested a change that would allow all athletes to participate in male sports, but only people whose biological sex assigned at birth is female and who have not begun hormone therapy to participate in women’s sports.
Photo credit: Contributed
In Memoriam: Cullen Talton of Houston County, who was believed to be the country’s longest-serving sheriff, died in October. The 92-year-old farmer, who rarely carried a gun, served as sheriff for nearly 52 years. He was first elected to office in 1972, when former President Jimmy Carter was governor of Georgia. 
