With the stroke of a pen, Georgia’s Republican Governor Brian Kemp has revived a committee tasked with monitoring the operations of local prosecutors like Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, throwing up a potentially massive roadblock to the Democrat’s case against former President Donald Trump.
Kemp on Wednesday signed into law the activation of the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission, initially established last year but stymied by the state Supreme Court after it refused to approve the creation of a commission to monitor its conduct, according to the AP. The current law removes the previous need for approval by the Supreme Court, arming Georgia Republicans with a potent tool against hyper-partisan prosecutorial efforts which they claim are being undertaken by Willis.
“This legislation will help us ensure rogue and incompetent prosecutors are held accountable if they refuse to uphold the law,” Kemp said at a signing ceremony with first lady Marty Kemp, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, House Speaker Jon Burns, and Senate and House Republican leadership. “As we know all too well, crime has been on the rise across the country, and is especially prevalent in cities where prosecutors are giving criminals a free pass or failing to put them behind bars due to lack of professional conduct.”
The measure provoked outrage among some of the Democratic prosecutors who initially challenged the law before the Supreme Court set it aside.
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“The signing of Senate Bill 332 shows that Republicans care little about the State Constitution and will stop at nothing to steal power from Georgia voters. The bill fails to address the constitutional concerns raised by the legal community over the last year about the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission and even worse, removes the Supreme Court’s oversight of the body. Now this group of political appointees—chosen solely by Republicans—has unchecked power to remove prosecutors whose decisions they disagree with, no matter how well a district attorney or solicitor general represents the voters who elected them in the courtroom,” said DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston in a statement to Fox 5 Atlanta.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones praised Gov. Kemp’s move as providing oversight at a time when President Trump is already seeing some of the state-level charges against him being dismissed by Judge Scott McAfee.
“I am thankful to Governor Kemp for signing this vital piece of legislation into law. Now, the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission can begin its important work and rein in rogue District Attorneys that refuse to uphold the rule of law in our state. If District Attorneys want to continue down this reckless road and put the interests of criminals ahead of law-abiding citizens, they will be held accountable.”
DA Willis is under intense scrutiny over a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, a prosecutor she hired and paid around $700,000 to support her investigation into President Trump and 18 co-defendants. An attorney for one of the co-defendants uncovered the relationship, initiating a fallout for Willis that will likely culminate in a decision by Judge McAfee about whether or not she should be dismissed from the case. Now, the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission may move even faster to do so.