Chris Carr sues Joe Biden one last time to reverse offshore drilling ban
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock votes for the Laken Riley Act.
- Gov. Brian Kemp joined GOP governors in inauguration overflow seating.
- New committee chairs appointed in the Georgia House of Representatives.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said goodbye to President Joe Biden by taking him to court one last time.
Carr and three other Republican state attorneys general asked a judge to reverse a Biden order in the waning days of his presidency that banned offshore oil and gas drilling along most of the U.S. coastal waters, including Georgia.
“This 11th hour ban on offshore drilling would increase prices for hardworking Georgians & threaten the reliability of American energy production,” Carr posted on X.
Suing a Democratic president is usually an easy political move for a Republican in Georgia, something Carr did many times during Biden’s presidency. But this one comes with more risk, especially as Carr is running for governor in 2026.
Offshore drilling is not popular along Georgia’s coastal communities, who fear both its environmental and aesthetic disruptions. The Republican-controlled state House of Representatives passed a resolution in 2019 opposing drilling and seismic testing off Georgia’s coast.
Carr’s stance could provide an opening for criticism in what is expected to be a crowded and competitive Republican primary for governor that could also include Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Carr’s lawsuit calls offshore oil and gas development “a key contributor to Georgia’s economy, generating substantial tax revenue and jobs.” Kara Murray, Carr’s spokesperson, suggested on Monday that the lawsuit was more about stopping what Carr views to be an illegal act of the former president.
“Regardless of individual opinions on offshore drilling, a unilateral ban is simply beyond the power of a president,” Murray said. “President Trump will reverse this order and unleash American energy production so that we can lower costs for American consumers.”
Indeed, President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order that attempts to repeal Biden’s offshore oil ban, part of a number of actions designed to unwind his predecessors’ policies.
But the offshore oil ban could be more difficult to get rid of as it would likely require an act of Congress, per reporting from the Associated Press.
“We will drill baby, drill,” Trump said during his inaugural address.
***
GOOD MORNING! Gov. Brian Kemp declared an emergency and ordered much of state government to close today in anticipation of a possible winter storm later this afternoon. State lawmakers canceled some budget hearings. Most schools are out, too.
Here are five things to know for today:
- President Donald Trump pardoned nearly all of the Jan. 6 defendants, including 44 with Georgia ties, the AJC’s Chris Joyner reports.
- Greg Bluestein and Joyner provide a recap of everything Trump did on his first day in office.
- Former President Joe Biden pardoned his siblings and their spouses before leaving office. None have been charged with crimes, but the pardons are meant to prevent possible prosecution by the Trump administration.
- Nelly, an Atlanta resident, defended his decision to perform during President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
- Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day service at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church focused on the poor, the AJC’s Ernie Suggs reports.
***
WHITHER WARNOCK. Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock usually spends Martin Luther King Jr. Day presiding over a service honoring the slain civil rights leader at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he serves as senior pastor.
But on Monday the Democrat returned to the crowded Capitol Rotunda in Washington to witness Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration. He told NPR that his attendance was “an endorsement of our democratic principles.”
“Donald Trump won the election. And one of the bedrock principles of our democratic system is the nonviolent transfer of power, and it is something to which I’m deeply committed,” he said.
Warnock added: “He won the election, and sometimes you got to be present in order to engage in the fight.”
***
LAKEN RILEY ACT. The U.S. Senate passed the Laken Riley Act on Monday. Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock surprised some progressive Democrats by breaking ranks with much of his party to support it.
Warnock and U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, his fellow Georgian who is up for reelection in 2026, were among 12 Democrats who voted with Republicans for the bill that requires authorities to detain people living in the country illegally who have been accused of theft or burglary.
Warnock said after the vote he supported the measure out of concern for the pain experienced by the family of Riley, who was killed last year on the University of Georgia campus by a Venezuelan man living in the country without legal permission and faced prior charges of shoplifting.
“She should be alive today, and I thought it was important to act,” Warnock said. “This is not the bill I would have written. I think I was hoping for a path for a more bipartisan bill, but I’ll keep working from here.”
Ossoff, who is up for reelection next year, had said all along that he backed the legislation.
The bill, which passed the House last week with bipartisan support, was amended in the Senate to add more offenses to the list of crimes that would trigger detention.
It’s now set to be sent back to the House, where it could soon reach a vote. U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson, the measure’s primary author, has indicated it could make it to the desk of President Donald Trump later this week, making it the first bill to be signed into law during his second term.
***
OVERFLOW. The hundreds of Georgians who traveled to Washington on Monday only to have President Donald Trump’s inauguration be moved indoors at the last minute shouldn’t feel too bad. Gov. Brian Kemp missed it, too.
The last-minute change of venue to avoid frigid temperatures meant only a select few could be in the room when Trump took the oath of office. That put Kemp, along with fellow Republican governors Mike Braun of Indiana, Ron DeSantis of Florida, Tate Reeves of Mississippi and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia in overflow seating in nearby Emancipation Hall.
Only a handful of VIG’s (Very Important Georgians) managed to get a spot inside the much smaller Capitol rotunda for Trump’s second swearing in. That included former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who co-chaired the inaugural committee. It also included the AJC’s Tia Mitchell, who was one of 20 reporters present.
Kemp’s camp did get some face time with the new commander in chief when Trump stopped by the hall shortly after the ceremony concluded. The president ended up giving a speech that was longer than his inaugural address.
“You’re a younger, far more beautiful audience than I just spoke to,” Trump said, referencing the other crowd, which included former presidents and vice presidents of both parties. “You’re more powerful than them, you look better than them and I love you.”
***
MUSICAL CHAIRS. Some state House lawmakers swapped committee chairs last week. And unlike in the state Senate, when the music stopped no one was left standing.
- Steve Tarvin, R-Chickamauga, replaced Steven Meeks, R-Screven, at Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight.
- Meeks replaced former state Rep. Penny Houston as chair of the Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee.
- Steven Sainz, R-St. Marys, replaced Mark Newton, R-Augusta, at Interstate Cooperation.
- Newton replaced former state Rep. David Knight as chair of the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee.
- Clint Crowe, R-Jackson, replaced former state Rep. J Collins at Public Safety and Homeland Security.
The House committee to watch in the coming days is Appropriations, where lawmakers will spend hours picking apart Gov. Brian Kemp’s budget request.
The committee is bigger this year. Ten lawmakers are gone, nine of them because they left the Legislature.
Here’s who is taking their place:
- Bethany Ballard, R-Warner Robins.
- Carter Barrett, R-Cumming.
- James Burchett, R-Waycross.
- Kasey Carpenter, R-Dalton.
- Lehman Franklin, R-Statesboro.
- Spencer Frye, D-Athens.
- Lydia Glaize, D-Fairburn.
- Trey Kelley, R-Cedartown.
- Marvin Lim, D-Norcross.
- Lauren McDonald III, R-Cumming.
- Kimberly New, R-Villa Rica.
- Sam Park, D-Lawrenceville.
- Matt Reeves, R-Duluth.
***
LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” the hosts recap President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Then, former Democratic state Sen. Jason Carter, grandson of the late President Jimmy Carter, gives an update on the family. And Georgia State University’s Denish Shah discusses the attempt to ban TikTok.
Be sure to download the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Have a question for the show? Give us a call at 770-810-5297. Episodes are uploaded by noon each day, just in time to have lunch with us. You can also listen live at 10 a.m. EDT on 90.1 FM WABE.
On Monday’s show, Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., spoke about the significance of this year’s inauguration coinciding with MLK Day. She also reflected on her father’s legacy in today’s political climate.
***
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Donald Trump will meet with Republican leaders of Congress at the White House. He’s also expected to sign more executive orders today.
- The U.S. House returns for evening votes.
- The Senate could schedule confirmation votes today or work to advance legislation concerning abortion.
- The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a nomination hearing this morning with former Georgia U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, Trump’s pick for Veterans Affairs secretary.
***
SHOUTOUTS. Belated birthday:
- Former Public Service Commissioner Stan Wise (was Sunday).
- Terrie Slaton, a faithful reader of this newsletter (was Saturday).
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.
***
AS ALWAYS, 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.
Editors note: This item has been updated to note that state Rep. Steve Tarvin has not been removed from the House Appropriations Committee.
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.
More Stories
The Latest
