Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024
Good morning. We’re reporting on evidence rulings in the Ahmaud Arbery-related prosecution of former district attorney Jackie Johnson, federal prosecutors suing the City of Brunswick over its efforts to shut down a homeless shelter and Georgia senate recommendations on how to fix the beleaguered state prison system.
Questions, comments or story ideas? Reach out to us at staff@thecurrentga.org.
NEWS: COURTS
Judge rules on motions in Arbery case
The judge in the criminal case involving former Brunswick-area district attorney Jackie Johnson ruled swiftly on several motions related to evidence during her upcoming trial.
The rulings came just days after Johnson’s first appearance in three years since she was indicted on charges of interfering in the murder investigation of Ahmaud Arbery. She previously served as Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney before being voted out in 2020 and then indicted a year later. She has pleaded not guilty.
Semi-retired Bulloch County Superior Court Judge John Turner ruled in favor of Georgia Attorney General prosecutors that Johnson’s lawyers cannot reference her “popularity” in being elected as district attorney nor can they use her “conviction rate” or other statistics as to her effectiveness as a prosecutor.
Turner ruled in favor of Johnson’s team to exclude evidence that shows Johnson invoked her right to the Fifth Amendment, which protects U.S. citizens from self-incrimination, when the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Federal Bureau of Investigation were examining her conduct in 2020.
Lastly, Turner ruled against a high-stakes gamble by Johnson’s attorney, Brian Steel, to disqualify the AG’s office from prosecuting her. One of Steel’s primary arguments for removing the office was that he hoped to call AG Chris Carr as a witness in the case.
These rulings lay the ground rules for the trial scheduled for Jan. 21, 2025. What evidence a jury hears, or doesn’t hear, informs the verdict they reach. For background on the case, read The Current‘s report from the courtroom last week:
NEWS: COURTS
Feds sue Brunswick over shelter shutdown efforts
Federal prosecutors filed suit this week against the City of Brunswick for its attempts to shut down The Well, a Christian shelter for people experiencing homelessness.
The complaint said that those efforts amounted to an undue burden placed on The Well and the right for religious groups to use their land to help others. Prosecutors also cited reporting from The Current last year, which they said showed the city’s public nuisance claim and request for injunction were based upon faulty statistics.
The Current‘s Jabari Gibbs covered the lawsuit, the context of Brunswick’s battle against homelessness providers, and details of the backroom negotiations between the mayor and the shelter.
NEWS: PUBLIC SAFETY, GOVERNING
Panel recommendations for GA prison reforms
A Georgia senate panel approved some recommendations aimed at improving conditions in the state prison system.
The “Senate Supporting Safety and Welfare of All Individuals in Department of Corrections Facilities Study Committee” approved recommendations related to mental health for inmates and staff, a pay study for prison employees, and beefing up efforts to impede cellphone use by prisoners.
The panel rejected other efforts to reform the Georgia Department of Corrections, including de-escalation training for guards, an oversight board and boosted reintegration for people leaving prison. Panel chair Sen. Randy Robertson characterized these as redundant.
The panel came after the U.S. Department of Justice recently reported deplorable conditions at Georgia prisons that violated the rights of inmates.
Della Newsome, of Augusta, lost her fiancé, Joshua Mark Holliday, to suicide in Georgia’s prison system. She advocated for him at the Capitol when speaking to committee members. She said family members cannot get basic answers on what is happening to their loved ones.
“I’ve called the ombudsman. I’ve called everybody that I can find a phone number to,” she said. “And everybody keeps telling me that they don’t know.”
Federal prosecutors file suit against Brunswick for attempts to close The Well
Since 2022 the city has tried to limit homeless services offered at The Well after an intense lobby campaign from downtown business owners,
Georgia Senate panel urges prisons to focus on mental health, feds to ban cellphones
Panel recommends increasing mental health services, pay study for guards and measures to block cellphone use in Georgia state prison, recently found by the Justice Department
Research: Coastal Georgia is losing tree canopy
Canopy loss for the six counties was less than 2% from 2010-2019, but development has since boomed.
Spokesman: Hyundai Metaplant hasn’t benefitted directly from climate law
The Inflation Reduction Act didn’t directly benefit the Bryan County Hyundai Metaplant, at least not yet.
Ethics board recommends complaint against Chatham district attorney be dismissed
State Ethics Commission recommends dismissing campaign finance complaint lodged against Chatham County District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones. She filed necessary paperwork, following complaint by a Savannah attorney.
Midway passes $3.1 million budget without public seeing it first
If the public cannot access a copy of the budget, it cannot meaningfully participate in any public hearings about the budget. And if the press cannot access a copy of the budget, it cannot inform the public of how its elected officials plan to spend their tax dollars.
Support independent, solutions-based investigative journalism without bias, fear or favor on issues affecting Savannah and Coastal Georgia.
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