Cobb County school officials threaten to punish students joining ICE walkout
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- A partial government shutdown might not hinder immigration operations.
- David Clark wants to rename a Georgia mountain for Donald Trump.
- The Justice Department sues Brad Raffensperger a second time.
Think again
Thousands of students across Georgia have staged walkouts in recent weeks to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdowns. But in Cobb County, school officials have a blunt warning to students thinking of joining a planned protest Friday during classroom hours.
The district has threatened students with “out-of-school suspension and the potential loss of parking privileges, sports and extracurricular privileges” if they joined the protest.
“Each has long-lasting impacts that could be taken into account by college admission offices and future employers,” the district said in a message sent to parents.
The response highlights the political crosscurrents in Cobb, once a Republican stronghold and now a key anchor of Georgia’s Democratic coalition. Even as the county’s voters have shifted left, the board of education remains narrowly under GOP control, with Republicans holding a 4-3 majority.
The Cobb district’s stance contrasts with reactions elsewhere in metro Atlanta. In DeKalb County, students staged mass walkouts at several high schools last week with little pushback from administrators, who said they support students’ “constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and free expression.”
At Dunwoody High School in north DeKalb, hundreds of students gathered for a demonstration near the campus picnic area. Hours later, Principal Tom Bass sent a note commending the peaceful protest.
“We encourage all students to express themselves responsibly and to remain mindful of the District’s Code of Student Conduct,” he wrote. ”We are proud of our students for expressing themselves and for conducting themselves respectfully.”
Things to know
Good morning! A Georgia Senate committee that spent that last two years investigating Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis now says it wants to interview former House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams.
Here are three other things to know for today:
- Georgia’s Republican candidates for Senate have remained loyal to President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies despite other GOP leaders across the country urging caution, Greg Bluestein reports.
- About 7,700 students qualified for the Georgia Promise Scholarship in the program’s first year, meaning fewer than half of the vouchers the state set aside were actually claimed, the AJC’s Cassidy Alexander repots.
- Congress recently passed a budget bill that includes $500,000 to fund the start of a feasibility study to deepen the 40-mile shipping channel that serves the Georgia Ports Authority’s Savannah terminals, the AJC’s Adam Van Brimmer reports.
Shutdown strategy
U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are among the Democrats who have pledged to block a package of government funding bills unless they include new civil liberty protections. But they might not have the same leverage as they had in October.
A partial government shutdown likely wouldn’t hinder Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s operations in any meaningful way. That’s because the agency still has plenty of cash after receiving $75 billion as part of President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax and spending bill passed last year.
“In the event of a lapse in funding, ICE would be able to sustain regular operations for multiple years, while the other agencies under this bill would likely be forced to furlough workers and reduce operations,” said U.S. Rep. Rose DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut who is the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee.
But DeLauro’s comments came before a second person was shot and killed by federal immigration agents in Minnesota. Congressional Democrats are now facing immense pressure from their base to forcefully respond. As Democrats don’t have majorities in Congress, their options are limited.
“While Democrats do not have the majority, they have their voices and votes,” Warnock spokesperson Matt Krack said. ”How many American citizens must be killed before the Senate Republicans and the Trump administration rein in the abuses of ICE?”
MAGA mountain
Last year, the most conspicuous bid to curry favor with President Donald Trump came in the form of a MAGA-themed license plate. This year, it could be a MAGA mountain.
Republican state Rep. David Clark is sponsoring legislation to rename Sawnee Mountain in Forsyth County as Trump Mountain in a symbolic tribute to the president.
Clark, a GOP candidate for lieutenant governor, unveiled the resolution with a social media post showing him smiling beside Trump. His critics quickly pointed out that Clark was an early supporter of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ bid for president.
A ‘moral moment’
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock met with clergy members and then visited the site where Alex Pretti was killed in Minneapolis, speaking to reporters on Tuesday as he stood beside a makeshift memorial.
“I want to say how inspired I am by the people of Minneapolis who are standing up in this moral moment in which the very identity of our country is on the line,” the Atlanta Democrat said. “Those faith leaders showed up because they believe, as I do, that there’s something called the ministry of presence that sometimes showing up is its own power.”
Warnock, along with Sen. Jon Ossoff and other Democrats, has pledged to vote against government funding legislation this week unless Republicans either take out funding for ICE or add in civil liberties protections.
In Minneapolis, he blamed the death of Pretti and Renee Good, which has resulted in widespread protests, on the policies of President Donald Trump. Warnock said he will use his power as a senator to try to hold the White House accountable for the effects of immigration crackdowns and praised those who are protesting on the ground.
“With courage and commitment, they are standing up against Trump as he tramples upon basic American rights,” Warnock said in a video posted on social media. “ICE cannot continue in this way kidnapping children off of streets, killing Americans with impunity, barging into homes without a warrant. This cannot stand, and it’s the people who are standing up in this moment.”
Fumble?
“In football, your film is your resume, and we’re going to focus on the film for Jon Ossoff.”
That’s what former Tennessee coach Derek Dooley said in a campaign video that went viral this week — for the wrong reasons.
While Dooley talked about immigration and inflation in the video, Democrats quickly blitzed the Republican Senate candidate for his own film, namely his losing coaching record on the sidelines.
“You were 32-41 as a head coach,” CNN commentator Bakari Sellers wrote in a viral post of his own, one of many examples of the blowback.
Dooley’s campaign doesn’t seem rattled by the pile on. He’s leaned heavily into his football pedigree as he tries to frame himself as the Republican best positioned to defeat U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, the Democratic incumbent.
Under the Gold Dome
It’s day eight of the legislative session. Some happenings:
- 8 a.m.: Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry testifies before a joint hearing of the House Transportation Committee and the Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee.
- 10 a.m.: House and Senate convene.
- 1 p.m.: Senate Public Safety Committee meets to discuss Senate Bill 116, which would require collecting DNA samples of anyone in a detention facility subject to an immigration detainer notice.
- 1:30 p.m.: State Rep. Rob Leverett’s Judiciary Subcommittee meets to discuss House Bill 57, which would include a step grandparent and step grandchild relationship in the definition of incest.
- 1:30 p.m.: Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Walter Rabon testifies before the House Game, Fish and Parks Committee.
- 2 p.m.: House Health Committee meets to discuss House Bill 522, which would prohibit health care providers from discriminating against organ transplant recipients based solely on their vaccine status.
Try again
The Trump administration sued Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger a second time on Tuesday after a judge dismissed the first lawsuit because it was filed in the wrong court.
The Justice Department is seeking access to Georgia’s unredacted voter rolls, which includes driver’s license numbers, birth dates and partial Social Security numbers. It’s part of a nationwide effort to verify states are complying with the National Voter Registration Act.
Raffensperger, a Republican who is running for governor, has already handed over some of the data. But he hasn’t disclosed all of it because he says it is illegal to do so under state law.
Georgia is among about half a dozen states that the administration has sued to obtain access to voter information. So far, federal judges have dismissed cases in California and Oregon.
Meanwhile, the state Senate could soon vote on a resolution urging Raffensperger to comply. The resolution says his refusal to comply is the “latest example of a pattern of behavior by the Secretary and his office to refuse oversight of his administration of Georgia’s elections.” Senate Resolution 563 is sponsored by state Sen. Randy Robertson, a close ally Lt. Gov. Burt Jones who is one of Raffensperger’s opponents in the Republican primary for governor.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast state Rep. Akbar Ali, D-Lawrenceville, talks about his rapid rise from community organizing to becoming the youngest member of the state Legislature.
You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free an 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.
Nonpartisan judges
Out of 1,600 elected judges in Georgia, all but 53 of them are nonpartisan. State lawmakers hope to change that this year.
House Resolution 251 by State Rep. Kimberly New would place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to make Georgia’s probate judges nonpartisan offices. The bill comes after Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law last year doing the same thing for magistrate judges.
“Requiring some judges to run in partisan elections makes it difficult for them to comply with the code of conduct and maintain impartiality and the appearance of impartiality,” New said. The resolution cleared the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
Probate judges have varying roles in Georgia’s judicial system. While all of them administer wills and estates, others also handle traffic offenses and hear misdemeanor cases. Some even act as their county’s supervisor of elections.
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump will encourage families to sign up for Trump Accounts to help save money for children’s education. He will also meet with auto workers at the White House.
- The House is out this week.
- The Senate will continue working on six appropriations bill
Shoutouts
Today’s birthday:
- State House Speaker Pro-Tempore Jan Jones, R-Milton.
Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.
Before you go
Bill Hembree, a former GOP state representative from Winston, died Jan. 15 after an eight year battle with cancer. He was 59.
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.
About the Authors
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
Patricia Murphy is the AJC's senior political columnist. She was previously a nationally syndicated columnist for CQ Roll Call, national political reporter for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
