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DeKalb ethics case heading to Ga. Supreme Court

By Mark Niesse
May 7, 2017

The court ruling that stopped ethics oversight of DeKalb County's government is being appealed to Georgia's highest court.

The DeKalb Board of Ethics filed notice of appeal Friday of Superior Court Judge Asha Jackson's order that dismantled the board. Jackson decided April 28 that unelected groups — like the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce and local colleges — shouldn't have been allowed to appoint four of the board's seven members.

Without those four members, the board can't decide allegations of government misconduct or take votes.

The board’s attorney, Darren Summerville, wrote in the appeal notice that the case should be reviewed by the Georgia Supreme Court because it’s about the constitutionality of a state law.

The court ruling said the legislation that created the DeKalb Board of Ethics in 2015 unconstitutionally allowed private entities to appoint its members.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

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