NEW: Georgia House Passes Bill That Could Mean More Legal Trouble For Fani Willis

On Tuesday the Georgia House passed a bill aimed at increasing oversight of prosecutors. The legislation could introduce more legal complications for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who has been under fire from certain political quarters.

Senate Bill 332 was approved with a vote of 97-73, largely following party lines, and is now on its way to the governor’s desk for signature.

Critics, particularly from the conservative side, have viewed the development as a necessary step toward ensuring that prosecutors adhere strictly to their duties, without overstepping the boundaries of their authority or engaging in partisan or selective enforcement of the law.

‼️BREAKING A Georgia House commission with powers to discipline & remove prosecutors voted 97-73 for Senate Bill 332 which could disrupt Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' prosecution of Pres. Trump.

The bill only needs approval from @GovKemp, who has said he will…

— RealBenGeller (@RealBenGeller) March 5, 2024

The new bill, which has gained final approval, seeks to empower a prosecutor oversight panel to begin its work without requiring oversight from the state Supreme Court—a provision that was a sticking point in previous legislation.

The legislation faced legal obstacles, leading to its examination by the Supreme Court, which expressed “grave doubts” regarding its constitutional power to endorse the commission’s rules and standards of behavior as mandated by the law.

State Rep. Joseph Gullett, a Republican from Acworth, stated that the amendment was essential for the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission to start its task of penalizing “rogue” attorneys.

He mentioned, “Once this bill is passed, that commission will be able to get to its real work — bringing accountability to those rogue prosecuting attorneys who abuse their office, sexually harass their employees and do not show up for work.”

House Democratic Whip Sam Park from Lawrenceville commented that the funding for the state’s prosecutors frequently fails to match the volume of arrests within their jurisdictions.

He argued, “Passing this bill as opposed to additional funding and additional support for our district attorneys undermines them. This is a partisan attempt to control and discipline prosecutors who hand down decisions that Republican politicians do not like.”

However, proponents argue that these mechanisms are insufficient to address cases of gross misconduct or failure to perform prosecutorial duties effectively. The debate has been particularly heated regarding Athens-Clarke County District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez, who has faced accusations of incompetence and of not prosecuting certain low-level crimes.

Some of Trump’s allies hope to use the new law to challenge Fani Willis, who has pursued election interference charges against Trump and others for their efforts to reverse the 2020 election results in Georgia. This aspect of the bill’s implications has drawn national attention.

House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, a Republican from Auburn, was astonished at the misrepresentation of the situation by Democrats, claiming it has concealed the actual facts. “It shocks me that there has been such a distortion of this issue by Democrats that has obscured the truth here,” he said.

As opposition from Democrats solidifies, they argue that Republicans aim to undermine the choices of Democratic electorates and open the door to misuse by establishing a commission that lacks a supervisory entity. Rep. Stacey Evans, a Democrat from Atlanta, highlighted the contradiction, stating, “We are creating an oversight commission with no oversight.”

Superior Court Judge Scott McAffee is currently deciding Fani Willis’ fate after closing arguments in the disqualification case were heard this past Friday. McAffee indicated that a decision will be coming within two weeks.