Georgia Republicans are seeking new ways to punish Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Since Willis indicted former President Donald Trump in August, several lawmakers in the state have spoke out against Willis.
Under the new Senate Bill 92 signed by Gov. Brian Kemp, the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualification Commission can investigate complaints and decide whether to bring formal charges against state prosecutors.
DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston and a bipartisan group filed a lawsuit against the new law. Senate Bill 92 could be in violation of the First Amendment. The oversight committee can remain confidential during its investigation meaning the public or media would not have access to the information gathered by the committee.
However, Fulton County Judge Paige Reese Whitaker ruled that the lawsuit failed to prove how freezing the law would prevent “immediate and “irreparable injury.”
Earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch and Georgia Sen. Jason Anavitarte filed a complaint against Willis claiming that “improperly cherry-picked cases to further her personal political agenda.” And she created a “special grand jury to investigate her political adversaries.” They have asked the newly formed Prosecuting Attorneys Qualification Commission to sanction Willis.
However, now that Willis has secured three guilty pleas in the Trump election case, Republicans will have a harder time proving that her indictment of the former president is politically motivated.
But instead of focusing on the case, lawmakers are now attempting to link multiple deaths at the Fulton County Jail to Willis. An investigation found that of the 3,500 people jailed at the end of Aug. 2023, 35 percent had yet to be indicted.
It will be hard for Republican lawmakers to prove Willis is solely responsible for the jail’s horrid conditions.
Built in 1989 when the county’s population was much lower, the Fulton County Jail was built to hold 1,125 inmates. It now houses over 3,000 daily.
The sheriff’s office issued the statement, “It’s no secret that the dilapidated and rapidly eroding conditions of the current facility make it incredibly difficult to meet the goal of providing a clean, well-maintained and healthy environment for all inmates and staff. That is precisely why Sheriff (Patrick) Labat continues to call building a new Fulton County Jail and Criminal Justice Complex which will provide an elite level of care, mental health services, security and cleanliness.”
