Georgia Governor Approves Law Pote
Georgia’s Bold New Law Targets Prosecutorial Misconduct
Governor Brian Kemp has signed Senate Bill 244, a controversial new law that could reshape how prosecutorial misconduct is handled in Georgia.
The legislation comes in the wake of District Attorney Fani Willis’s disqualification from the case against former President Donald Trump.
“This is a major turning point in holding unethical, opportunistic, and deceitful prosecutors accountable for their misconduct,” said Trump’s lead attorney Steven Sadow.
How Senate Bill 244 Works
Under the new law, if a prosecutor is removed from a case for misconduct and the charges against the defendant are dismissed,
the defendant is entitled to recover all reasonable legal fees from the state.
The goal is to hold prosecutors to high ethical standards, while protecting taxpayers by requiring both misconduct and case dismissal.
The bill passed with strong Republican support and is the first of its kind in Georgia.
It was directly inspired by the Trump case, as State Senator Bradley Beach admitted he was motivated by Fani Willis’s handling of that prosecution.
The Willis Controversy
Fani Willis led the prosecution against Trump and others for allegedly trying to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results. But she was removed after it was revealed she had a personal relationship with Nathan Wade, the lead prosecutor she hired. A Georgia court found this created “an appearance of impropriety.”
Willis is now appealing her disqualification, arguing that no real conflict of interest existed.