Open Records Legal Fight In Savannah

Thursday, March 20, 2025

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Good morning. It’s Sunshine Week: A week dedicated to open government and the American public’s right to know.

Fittingly, we’re reporting on a legal fight over open records in Savannah. Then we’re examining efforts by a Coastal Georgia congressman to impeach a federal judge and how human trafficking emerged as a key issue in the lawsuit reform fight at the state capitol.

Questions, comments or story ideas? Reach out to us at staff@thecurrentga.org. Let’s dive in.

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NEWS: COURTS

Savannah lawsuit highlights open records complexity

A Savannah personal injury lawyer and local civil rights leader filed suit against the City of Savannah for allegedly withholding and delaying public records in violation of the Georgia Open Records Act.

The lawsuit shows the complexities of Georgia’s public records laws and its limitations, whether for lawyers or the general public, as The Current‘s Jake Shore reports:

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NEWS: COURTS

Coastal Georgia congressman seeks removal of judge

Coastal Georgia’s only representative in Congress co-signed extraordinary legislation on Tuesday seeking to remove a federal judge after he ruled against President Donald Trump’s administration in an immigration case.

The resolution co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-St. Simons Island) and four other Republican members pushes for the impeachment of U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg. The Washington D.C. judge’s ruling last week temporarily blocked the Trump administration from using an immigration law from 1798 to deport people whom the administration says are gang members, while a lawsuit regarding the law’s use is underway.

“An unelected District Court judge is stopping a duly elected President from protecting our homeland. I won’t tolerate it,” Carter wrote on X on Tuesday.

Carter’s resolution is distinct given how rarely federal judges are impeached: It’s only happened 15 times in more than 220 years, according to the Federal Judicial Center. The judges who were impeached and then convicted by the U.S. Senate were accused of offenses like intoxication on the bench or financial impropriety.

This week, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts rebuked impeachment efforts from the White House and Congress members like Carter, in a rare statement. “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts wrote, pointing to the existence of appeals and appellate courts.

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NEWS: GOVERNING, COURTS

Human trafficking new front in Georgia ‘tort reform’ fight

Gov. Brian Kemp has said early and often this year that legislation bringing sweeping changes to Georgia’s civil litigation landscape — referred to by supporters as “tort reform” — is his top legislative priority of 2025.

But as the bill nears a vote in the House Subcommittee of Rules on Lawsuit Reform, survivors of human trafficking and advocates for sexual assault survivors — key constituencies that Kemp has advocated for — have been sounding the alarm about how the bill could prevent victims from receiving justice through the civil system.

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One more story we’re tracking: Communication breakdown amid community violence

In the past week, a spate of gun violence occurred across Savannah and Chatham County, coinciding with St. Patrick’s Day festivities and favorable weather.

• On March 14, two people were injured in a shooting on Abercorn Street near White Bluff, according to the Savannah Police Department.
• On March 15, a 29-year-old man was fatally shot at the Dollar General Store on West Bay Street, according to the county coroner. In an unrelated shooting, a man was injured on New Castle Street in West Savannah, police said.
• On March 16, a 24-year-old man was killed in a shooting on Old Augusta Road in Port Wentworth, the coroner said. Another man, 22, was shot in the same incident and died a day later, the office reported.

The most violent incident resulted in five people injured in a shooting at the Westlake Apartments early Tuesday morning. But conflicting information by police and prosecutors has resulted in confusion.

Television news outlet WSAV interviewed Chatham County District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones, who said law enforcement notified her that the suspect in the shooting was later involved in a serious wreck in Liberty City. She said she highlighted the suspect to make a point that judges were letting out violent offenders on bond, and they were committing violent crimes.

The Chatham County Police Department, which is investigating the Westlake shooting, held a press conference on Wednesday to specifically dispute the news story, regarding the identity of the shooting suspect. Cook Jones later told The Savannah Morning News her intention was not to identify the suspect but to make a point about violent offenders being let out on bond.

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