Chris Carr’s legal fight against donor limits could upset GOP powerbrokers

Attorney General Chris Carr lost his legal effort to block his bitter rival from raising unlimited campaign cash. But he signaled his courtroom fight against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is just beginning as he accused his Republican gubernatorial opponent of “rigging the system.”

“This fight is far from over, and the cloud of unethical behavior hanging over him just isn’t going away,” Carr said last night. “It’s only a matter of time before another challenge is filed to stop Burt Jones from cheating.”

Carr had asked a judge to stop Jones from taking advantage of a 2021 law that gives him and other state officials the ability to accept unlimited donations. Jones’ committee has received $250,000 checks, while Carr is capped at $8,400 per donor for the primary.

A federal judge dismissed Carr’s lawsuit Thursday, ruling that although the law treats the candidates unequally, it isn’t illegal for Jones to follow it. Instead, U.S. District Judge Victoria Calvert said Carr lacked legal standing to file the challenge — a ruling that leaves him the option to file a new lawsuit.

“If Chris is this bad at being a lawyer, why would anyone want to give him a promotion?” Jones’ spokeswoman Kendyl Parker said.

What Carr does next could plunge him into tricky territory. While he’s borrowed President Donald Trump-like language to accuse Jones of manipulating the system, a successful legal challenge could reverberate far beyond his own campaign.

It could topple the entire law — a statute Gov. Brian Kemp and House Speaker Jon Burns have used to stockpile hefty war chests to fuel their agendas and boost their favored candidates. Aides to both have closely tracked the case, wary of broader fallout.

That leaves Carr with a delicate calculation. A win in court could strike a timely blow against an ascendant Jones, who recently won Trump’s endorsement. But it would also threaten the financial advantages enjoyed by two of the state’s most powerful Republicans.

Friday news quiz

Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC

Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC

Good morning! We’re taking the day off on Monday for Labor Day, so you won’t see us in your inbox again until Tuesday. You can tide yourself over with our news quiz. You’ll find the answers at the end of the newsletter.

Gov. Brian Kemp left the country this week for an economic development trip. Where did he go?

Georgia was hit by nine natural disasters during the 1980s that caused $1 billion or more in damage. How many did the state have last year?

DeKalb County and the city of Atlanta were in court this week. What were they fighting about?

Gov. Brian Kemp recently ordered a deployment of the Georgia National Guard. What will they be doing?

Tread carefully

Georgia Republicans, especially those running for statewide office next year, are telling everyone about their plan to get rid of the state income tax. But that doesn’t mean all state taxes would disappear.

Lawmakers are facing growing pressure to increase a fee on phone lines that pays for local 911 emergency systems. The $1.50 fee hasn’t been changed in decades. But local leaders say it’s not enough to cover the costs of their increasingly complex systems.

Roswell Police Chief James Conroy pleaded with lawmakers this week to raise the fee. He said it’s not enough to cover the city’s 911 operations, noting the city must pay $1 million per year to subsidize the system.

“It is clear this fee no longer reflects the realities of a modern emergency response system,” he said during a meeting of the House Study Committee on Funding for Next Generation 911. “Increasing this fee paid for by the users of the system would provide critical support to ensure that 911 remains responsive, reliable and ready for the future.”

Increasing that fee would essentially amount to lawmakers raising cellphone bills for Georgians. That wouldn’t be easy to campaign on in an election year.

State Rep. Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta, agreed lawmakers need “to look at the funding mechanism.” But he was careful to note that there are “no preconceived notions” on how they will do that.

The state Legislature has encouraged counties to upgrade their 911 systems to better handle calls from cellphones and other internet connected devices. The amended 2025 budget signed by Gov. Brian Kemp this year includes $5.7 million to help.

No phone zone

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

A new law will stop Georgia schoolchildren from using their phones in class next year. Now, state Sen. Sally Harrell wants to make sure lawmakers know what that feels like.

The Atlanta Democrat this week convened the first meeting of a committee studying the impact of social media an artificial intelligence on children. She’s scheduled a few hearings for the rest of the year, including one in November to talk about technology in schools.

“That November meeting … is going to be a cellphone-free meeting,” Harrell warned her colleagues. “You will be expected to put your phone in a pouch before you come into the meeting. I’m just giving you a warning before that happens.”

School districts have until July 2026 to begin implementing the new law, which applies to students in kindergarten through the eighth grade. Some districts are experimenting by requiring students to put their phones in a locked pouch when they arrive at school, the AJC’s Cassidy Alexander reported.

Harrell said the motivation for her study committee comes from raising her own children, whom she described as being members of the “guinea pig generation.”

“The pull to that phone was so strong that the parental-child relationship became nothing but a struggle,” she said. “I do believe this technology fundamentally changed my children.”

Lawyered up

Credit: Matt Rourke/AP

Credit: Matt Rourke/AP

Lisa Cook and Susan Monarez were both fired by the Trump administration this week. But that’s not the only thing they have in common.

Both hired the same lawyer after President Donald Trump ousted them from their jobs. Cook is a Georgia native and a Federal Reserve governor, while Monarez led the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Attorney Abbe Lowell was already known for his famous clients across the political spectrum, including former U.S. Sens. John Edwards and Bob Menendez as well as inner circle MAGA members Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. He was also the Democrats’ top lawyer during the impeachment proceedings of former President Bill Clinton.

Representing ousted federal workers could soon become big business as Trump seeks to reshape the government. Of the two most recent examples, Cook has perhaps the most compelling case. No president has ever tried to fire a Fed governor in the 112-year-history of the institution.

Cook sued the Trump administration on Thursday, asking a judge to “confirm her status” as a governor. The case is likely to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Meanwhile, four top CDC leaders resigned in protest after the firing of Monarez. On Thursday, hundreds of CDC workers and supporters gathered at the agency’s Atlanta headquarters to praise the leaders who resigned, the AJC’s Ariel Hart and Tamar Hallerman report.

“We are heartbroken to have left but we had to do it,” Dr. Debra Houry, former chief medical officer at the CDC, told the cheering crowd.

Hold on

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

The Fulton County Commission won’t have to pay $10,000 daily fines for not appointing two Republican nominees to the county Election Board — at least for now. The fines were scheduled to begin today.

Late Thursday, Senior Superior Court Judge David Emerson stayed his Wednesday ruling that held the commission in civil contempt for failing to appoint the Fulton County Republican Party nominees.

It came after the commission filed court documents in Fulton County Superior Court notifying Emerson of their intent to appeal his contempt order.

“We are a Nation of laws, and I respect the legal process,” said Fulton Commission Chairman Robb Pitts. “We entrust this matter to the Court of Appeals and look forward to a favorable ruling.”

Listen up

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You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.

Earmarked funds

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, will present a check to the Atlanta Community Food Bank today that represents the $850,000 she was able to get for the nonprofit through an earmark in the federal budget.

The money is intended to help the food bank buy four new tractor trailers and six box trucks that will help it transport donated food and grocery items.

Today in Washington

Shoutouts

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Before you go

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

Answers to the news quiz: B, D, B, A.

Remember, there is no newsletter on Monday for Labor Day. We’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday.

That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.