James July-August 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 7
Senate Bill 244, which allows criminal defendants to
recoup their legal costs from county prosecuting attorneys’
budgets in cases where the prosecutor is disqualified for
personal or professional misconduct, has been signed into
law by Gov. Brian Kemp. This is important because during
President Donald Trump’s election case in Georgia, Fulton
County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified after
a judge found that her romantic relationship with special
prosecutor Nathan Wade created a “significant appearance
of impropriety.” This law is a turning point in holding
unethical prosecutors accountable, as well as compensating Trump and his co-defendants who were wrongfully
prosecuted but are now RISING . . .
A partnership between Georgia Power and Mitsubishi
Power is on the cutting edge of hydrogen fuel advancements. The pair completed a second trial combining
hydrogen and natural gas fuels at Plant McDonough-Atkinson in Smyrna, creating a blend that led to a 22%
decrease in carbon-dioxide emissions. The test was the
largest and most advanced of its kind in the world to
date. Georgia Power’s future plans involve using gas
turbines capable of using hydrogen, making them more
efficient and much cleaner. The utility’s position as a
leader in clean energy is RISING . . .
Fresh out of federal prison, former Clayton County
Sheriff Victor Hill is jumping back into politics by
challenging U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams in the Democratic primary for her Atlanta-based seat. Hill spent 10
months in an Arkansas prison after being found guilty
of violating the civil rights of detainees at his jail. He
still faces civil suits related to those charges, but that’s
not slowing him down. However, many expect Hill’s
political future to be Sinking . . .
It’s been three years since the infamous “Young Slime
Life” gang trial began in Atlanta. It concluded in June,
but Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis
couldn’t secure a single murder conviction. Five men,
including rapper Young Thug, were charged in the 2015
drive-by shooting of Donovan Thomas outside an Atlanta barber shop. But in a sprawling case that wound up
becoming the longest in state history, her prosecutors
couldn’t get any murder charges to stick, leaving only a
series of lesser charges and major egg on the face of the
DA’s office. Sinking . . .
A total of 105 Georgia law firms and legal organizations
took part in the 14th Annual Georgia Legal Food Frenzy to raise money for food banks across the state. In total,
the attorneys raised nearly $715,000, representing some
2.8 million meals. Habachy Law of Atlanta won the Attorney General’s Cup for most money raised per person,
while Greenberg Traurig won the Bar President’s Award
for the most money raised overall. The successful competition has Georgia’s law community RISING . . .
Columbia County’s district attorney, Army National
Guard Maj. Gen. Bobby Christine, is President Donald
Trump’s choice to be the Army's next judge advocate
general. Currently, he has been on leave from DA duties
serving as general counsel for the National Guard Bureau, which regulates the nation's Army and Air National
Guards. When approved by the U.S. Senate, Christine
goes to Washington, D.C., to lead the Judge Advocate
General's Corps, the Army's vast legal arm. RISING . . .
Georgia’s Libertarian Party suffered a blow during the
2024 elections when it lost automatic ballot access due to
not receiving enough total votes. Per state law, the party
now must collect 72,679 in-person signatures by next July
— one percent of active 2024 general election voters— to
regain ballot access for the 2026 midterms. Led by Chase
Oliver, a Georgia native who was the Libertarian candidate for president last year, party officials and volunteers
are already collecting signatures as this is published.
Their presence (or lack thereof) on 2026 ballots could
have a huge impact like it did in 2020 when it forced a
runoff between then-U.S. Sen. David Perdue and now-U.S.
Sen. Jon Ossoff. Drifting . . .
The $2.8 billion House vs. NCAA settlement ushers in a
new era in college sports— for better or worse. Starting
now, schools have a pool of money from which to pay
athletes (for UGA that number is $20.5 million in the first
year), with added scholarships but no more walk-ons.
And while most of that money will be earmarked for
football, athletic departments must decide for themselves
how to divvy it up. Name, image and likeness (NIL) deals
will still exist, but will go through a portal overseen by
the new College Sports Commission. Uncharted waters
leave the future of college sports Drifting . . .
J U LY /AU GUST 2025
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