www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-15 08:42:00
A Georgia bill allowing defendants to receive “reasonable costs” if their case is dismissed due to prosecutorial misconduct has been signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp. Sponsored by former Sen. Brandon Beach, the bill was criticized by Democrats, who claimed it was influenced by President Trump’s legal situation in Fulton County. Republicans, however, denied any connection to Trump’s case. The bill also includes provisions for compensating individuals exonerated after wrongful imprisonment, offering \$75,000 per year of incarceration and additional funds for death row inmates. Critics warn it could impact taxpayers and discourage district attorneys from taking sensitive cases.
(The Center Square) – A Georgia bill that will allow defendants to receive “reasonable costs” if their case was dismissed for prosecutorial misconduct received Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature.
Democrats criticized the bill sponsored by former Sen. Brandon Beach and said it was done at the behest of President Donald Trump, who is facing charges in Fulton County with other defendants related to the 2020 election. Beach resigned from the state Senate earlier this month after Trump nominated him to serve as U.S. treasurer.
An appeals court disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the case because of her personal relationship with the lead prosecutor in the case. That decision is being appealed.
Rep. Betsy Holland, D-Atlanta, is one of several lawmakers who said the bill would put Fulton County taxpayers on the hook in Trump’s case.
“It is punishing the local taxpayers for statewide political problems and has a chilling effect potentially on our district attorneys who maybe are no longer going to take the high profile or very sensitive cases for fear of the trickle-down effect of what it’s going to do for the taxpayers who elected them in the first place,” Holland said.
Republicans denied that the bill was about the Trump case.
“There is absolutely nothing in this bill that focuses on a single county nor does it have a sunset for a single issue,” said Rep. Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta, who presented the bill in the Senate.
That provision of the bill became effective with Kemp’s signature.
Senate Bill 244 also included a provision that would set up a system to compensate Georgians who were imprisoned and later exonerated. It was first presented as a standalone bill by Rep. Katie Dempsey, R-Rome. Two of the men mentioned in the bill are from Dempsey’s home county.
The bill would give the individuals $75,000 for every year they were incarcerated. Death row inmates will receive an additional $25,000 per year.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article presents a straightforward report on the passage of a Georgia bill without showing a clear ideological stance. It presents the perspectives of both Democrats, who criticize the bill as politically motivated and harmful to taxpayers, and Republicans, who deny such motives and defend the bill’s provisions. The language remains neutral and factual, systematically reporting what various lawmakers say and the bill’s key components. There is no loaded language or editorializing that promotes either side’s viewpoint, maintaining a balanced coverage of the issue without endorsing a specific political perspective.
Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King has suspended his U.S. Senate bid after Gov. Brian Kemp privately informed candidates he wouldn’t back their campaigns, instead supporting Derek Dooley, a former Tennessee football coach. King, appointed by Kemp and the state’s first elected Hispanic official, cited lack of a clear path to the nomination and will seek reelection as insurance commissioner. Kemp’s backing of Dooley, who lacks political experience but has assembled a Kemp-aligned team, has frustrated some party members. Other candidates, including MAGA-aligned U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, expected to enter soon, and U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, remain undeterred. The GOP primary race promises to be divisive before facing Democrat Jon Ossoff in the general election.
Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King on Thursday suspended his bid to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff after a private phone call with Gov. Brian Kemp, who told King and other candidates he would not support their campaigns as he works behind the scenes to anoint a preferred candidate.
“I got into the U.S. Senate race to beat Jon Ossoff, not distract from the mission,” King said in a statement shared on X. “Right now it’s clear there’s little path forward to the nomination, so today I’m suspending my campaign.”
King, a Spanish-fluent native of Mexico, was appointed to his post by Kemp in 2019 and became the state’s first elected Hispanic statewide official when he secured a full term in 2022. He was previously a street cop before working his way up to police chief in Doraville, a majority-Hispanic suburb of Atlanta.
He also came into the race with an extensive military background, having spent a combined four decades in the U.S. Army and the National Guard. His missions included deployments to the Middle East, building pop-up hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic and cracking down on illegal immigration at the U.S. border with Mexico, according to his campaign website.
Despite his impressive resume, his campaign left a lot to be desired. He lacked the financial resources of his rivals and wasn’t able to unite the party’s competing factions: MAGA diehards who prioritize loyalty to President Donald Trump and establishment-minded conservatives who would much rather talk about things like tax cuts.
His exit comes as the governor is said to be working the phones in support of Derek Dooley, a former coach at Tennessee and the son of the late Georgia coaching legend Vince Dooley. It’s not clear when or if the younger Dooley will join the contest, but he is lining up a political team full of staunch Kemp allies and has been sounding a lot more political in interviews despite having never run for office before.
Kemp might have nudged King out of the race, but his involvement doesn’t seem to be deterring other candidates — at least not yet. U.S. Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter, a wealthy pharmacist, was the first to enter the contest in an effort to try and lock up the MAGA lane, even switching a lot of his social media photos to pictures of himself sharing a thumbs-up with the president.
The St. Simons Island Republican’s campaign did not hold back when asked about Kemp’s involvement: “Politicians don’t elect our Senators,” his campaign said. “The people of Georgia do.”
After announcing that he wouldn’t run himself, Kemp had committed to working with the White House toward a consensus candidate. But his moves behind the scenes to elevate the former Volunteers coach have “frustrated and p—d off” those close to the president, as one advisor said to Fox News.
And U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, who has been hinting at a Senate run for months, seems likely to enter the race within days. A trucking company owner from Butts County, Collins’ father Mac spent most of the 1990s representing the same northeast Georgia district his son now holds.
“When Mike Collins enters the race, he will likely become the frontrunner,” says Martha Zoller, a radio host who is close with the governor. “His work on the Laken Riley Act cannot be underestimated regarding how that resonates with Republican primary voters.”
Zoller added that the candidates are only speaking to primary voters right now and suggested that whoever wins the primary will need to recalibrate before going toe-to-toe with the well-funded Ossoff.
“The general election is a whole different ball game.”
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Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jill Nolin for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
This article presents a mostly factual account of Republican primary dynamics in Georgia, focusing on internal party conflicts and Gov. Brian Kemp’s influence in the Senate race. It discusses MAGA-aligned candidates, establishment conservatives, and GOP power struggles without overt editorializing. The language is generally neutral but leans slightly toward a center-right perspective by emphasizing traditional Republican factions and conservative issues like immigration crackdowns and tax cuts. The article reports on the GOP’s internal divisions while providing context on candidate backgrounds and endorsements, maintaining a balanced tone with no strong partisan framing favoring either side.
SUMMARY: The CSRA is experiencing intense heat due to a strong high-pressure system, with temperatures not dropping below the upper 70s overnight. A Heat Advisory is in effect Sunday into Monday morning, with highs reaching the low 100s and heat index near 112°, posing risks of heat-related illnesses. An Extreme Heat Watch continues Monday, with heat index values approaching 113°, though isolated storms may occur. Residents are urged to stay hydrated, limit outdoor activities, and watch for heat exhaustion symptoms. Relief is expected midweek with increased rain and storms, lowering temperatures to the 90s, and cooler air arriving next weekend with highs in the mid-80s.
SUMMARY: A Southwest Airlines flight from Southern California to Las Vegas plunged about 300 feet shortly after takeoff Friday due to an onboard alert of a nearby plane, injuring two flight attendants and causing panic among passengers. The plane abruptly jolted and dropped in response to collision warnings, with the pilot reportedly maneuvering to avoid another aircraft, a British fighter plane called a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58. The flight departed Hollywood Burbank Airport and landed safely in Las Vegas. The FAA is investigating, and Southwest is cooperating. This incident adds to recent concerns about aviation safety following a deadly midair collision in January.
