Before Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis became the favorite target of former President Donald Trump and state Republicans, Athens District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez was arguably Georgia’s most vilified prosecutor.
Republicans criticized Gonzalez’s handling of high-profile cases and her decision not to prosecute certain low-level offenses. They also questioned a mass departure of staff attorneys on her watch.
And when Gov. Brian Kemp pushed for a new state commission to punish “rogue” prosecutors, it was Gonzalez — not Willis — he invoked as an example of a district attorney in need of reprimand.
Credit: Courtesy of Augusta University
Credit: Courtesy of Augusta University
Now Gonzalez will be responsible for bringing justice to the killer of Laken Riley, the nursing student slain near a jogging trail on the University of Georgia’s campus.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, who authorities say entered the country illegally in 2022, is charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing a death. He is from Venezuela and had been living in Athens.
In a surprise move late Monday, Gonzalez tried to head off criticism by tapping veteran prosecutor Sheila Ross to handle the case. Gonzalez said Ross was a “knowledgeable and well-respected trial attorney with the expertise ready to bring justice” for Riley’s family.
Credit: Nell Carroll for the AJC
Credit: Nell Carroll for the AJC
Earlier Monday, Republicans made clear they would turn up the pressure on Gonzalez. State Rep. Houston Gaines, an Athens Republican who has long sparred with Gonzalez, said he was “actively looking for ways” to sideline the district attorney from the trial.
“She’s not ready for this case,” he said. “I very much fear what would happen if she actually handled it.”
Kemp, an Athens native, offered a similar answer when we asked if he was confident in Gonzalez’s ability to try the case.
“She’d best do that, I can tell you, because the whole country and the world is watching this case,” Kemp said. “So it’s my hope that she will do that, or perhaps seek some folks that will help her do that.”
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Credit: Nell Carroll for the AJC
Credit: Nell Carroll for the AJC
DATELINE ATHENS. With Athens still reeling from the killing of Laken Riley, The New York Times takes a look this morning at the unique cultural and political role the city plays for conservatives and liberals alike.
In recent years, that culture clash has manifested itself in the flashpoint of how to address undocumented immigrants in the community.
From the report:
In 2018, the local sheriff at the time, Ira Edwards, under pressure from (Mayor Kelly Girtz) and others, ended the practice of holding arrested immigrants in jail for 48-hour periods to give federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials an opportunity to pick them up for potential deportation.
The next year, Mr. Girtz and the commission passed a resolution denouncing white supremacy and declaring that undocumented people should “feel welcome and comfortable" interacting with government.
And in 2020, voters elected a liberal district attorney, Deborah Gonzalez, who pledged to “take into account collateral consequences to undocumented defendants" in making charging decisions.
Conservatives were appalled by all of it — and remain so.
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NEXT STEPS. Look for state and federal officials to move quickly to push changes to policies at the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as how local authorities interact with undocumented immigrants in Georgia.
State Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, tried and failed Monday to suspend House rules for an immigration-related bill. The House is expected to work at the committee level Tuesday on changes to tighten immigration enforcement actions by local law enforcement.
President Joe Biden is traveling to the border on Thursday and has reportedly been considering executive actions to limit migrant crossings there since House Republicans refused earlier this month to back a bipartisan Senate package.
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Atlanta, was at the state Capitol on Monday lobbying for changes to the state’s foster care system but spoke to members of both chambers about his “shock and outrage” over the killing of Laken Riley, a nursing student in Athens.
Asked about Biden’s options for an executive order, Ossoff told the AJC, “We need strong action from the administration and we need legislation in Congress to address the issue of the Southern border.
“The crisis at the Southern border is real and it’s a threat to our national security,” Ossoff said.
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Credit: Casey Sykes for the AJC
Credit: Casey Sykes for the AJC
UNDER THE GOLD DOME, Legislative Day 27:
- 8 a.m.: Committee hearings begin.
- 10 a.m.: The House convenes.
- 10 a.m.: The Senate gavels in.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
ZONING IN. In December, our AJC colleague Katherine Landergan wrote about a decades-old provision in the state’s zoning code that forces drug treatment centers to wait months before approval.
It forced drug treatment operators to spend large sums of money, and at least one center didn’t open at all. Now, a GOP-backed measure — House Bill 1073 — would change that.
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Credit: AJC file photo
Credit: AJC file photo
ZIP IT, PEOPLE! Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns is on his fifth gavel after smashing its four predecessors trying to get chatty members to pipe down during session, the AJC’s resident gavel counter Mark Niesse reports.
From a piece on the speaker’s ways and means of wielding the ultimate status symbol:
Perhaps Burns doesn't know his own strength when he raps the gavel to bring the House to order or herald the passage of a bill. But he doesn't mind too much when his oaken symbol of authority shatters.
“Look, if you can't have a little fun while you work, why work?" said Burns, a Republican in his second year as the House's leader. “I like to wield the gavel from time to time. This gavel means different things to different people in this room. For me, it means making sure we're getting down to business."
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IVF DEFENSE. National Democrats are going on the offensive targeting anti-abortion Republicans after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are people, putting in vitro fertilization procedures in jeopardy.
The Democratic National Committee launched a billboard campaign Tuesday in Georgia and other battleground states that linked the ruling to former President Donald Trump’s policies.
Credit: Contributed image
Credit: Contributed image
“Trump is proudly responsible for appointing the three Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and wants to go even further by banning abortion nationwide,” said DNC spokeswoman Rhyan Lake.
Gov. Brian Kemp and other Georgia GOP leaders voiced support for in vitro fertilization after the ruling. But eight Georgia U.S. House members co-sponsored anti-abortion legislation that The Washington Post reported features an argument similar to the one the Alabama court invoked in its ruling.
On today’s “Politically Georgia” radio show, we’ll take a look at the personhood language in Georgia’s six-week abortion ban, including its potential impact on IVF, and hear from Alabama Planned Parenthood Director Stephen Stetson.
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Credit: AP
Credit: AP
LISTEN UP. Speaking of the “Politically Georgia” radio show, the AJC’s Shannon McCaffrey walked listeners to Monday’s episode through a court filing that raises new questions about the timing of the relationship between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Then, Georgia attorney Eric Tanenblatt discussed Nikki Haley’s path forward as she looks toward Super Tuesday after losing the South Carolina primary to former President Donald Trump.
On today’s episode, state Rep. Michelle Au, D-Johns Creek, discusses the status of legislation as Crossover Day approaches. The quasi-deadline for bills to pass at least one chamber in order to be considered during the session is Thursday.
Listen at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Catch Tuesday’s show live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 FM, at AJC.com and at WABE.org.
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COUNTDOWN TO SHUTDOWN. Top congressional leaders are due at the White House later this morning: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana; top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries of New York; Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York; and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
There, they will meet with President Joe Biden, who is expected to press them on government funding and aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Avoiding a partial government shutdown is top of mind. The deadline is late Friday. But Biden also wants to talk to the top lawmakers about the foreign aid legislation passed in the Senate and pending in the House. Ukraine has faced some setbacks in its war with Russia lately, and the U.S. funding is widely considered as a crucial lifeline.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet at the White House with the four top congressional leaders.
- The Senate has confirmation votes lined up.
- The House returns on Wednesday.
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Credit: J. Scott Trubey/AJC
Credit: J. Scott Trubey/AJC
IT’S ELECTRIC. Monday was officially Hyundai Day at the state Capitol.
Jose Munoz, global president of Hyundai Motor Group, spoke from the rostrum of the House to tell members about the company’s ahead-of-schedule progress on its massive EV assembly plant and battery factory now under construction outside of Savannah, thanks in part to generous tax breaks from the state of Georgia.
“I’ve opened a lot of plants in a lot of countries and I’ve never seen anything like our metaplant,” he said of the $12.6 billion car-and-battery campus.
“Let me know when you’re ready for a test drive,” Munoz said.
During the statehouse visit, Hyundai officials affirmed plans to begin EV production at the Georgia facility before the end of this year, ahead of the original timeline.
Meanwhile, a public meeting was held in Bulloch County to review water studies related to the new manufacturing facility. The session drew several hundred concerned citizens, many of whom reside or farm near the locations of four well sites meant to provide water to the plant. Your insider Adam Van Brimmer attended the session and will have a report later this morning.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. This one goes out to Mr. B Tatum, the beloved best pal of David Tatum, a senior government relations advisor for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Mr. B passed away in December but not before bringing a lifetime of listening, tail-wagging, snoring, caregiving, and unconditional love to his people. Calculating his 15 years with our Dog-of-the-Day calculator, that’s 105 dog years of good days with this very good dog.
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion and location, and cats on a cat-by-cat basis, to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us at @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, Politically Georgia readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com.
