New law in Georgia allows panel to discipline and remove prosecutors.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp recently signed a new law that creates a commission empowered to discipline and remove prosecutors who refuse to uphold the law, stating that it will help reduce the number of “far-left prosecutors” who are “making our communities less safe.” The Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission will start accepting complaints on October 1, following its launch on July 1. Kemp made his announcement and signed the measure at the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office in Savannah. The new law has been criticised by Georgia Democrats, who believe that the Republican legislative majority is seeking another way to impose its will on voters at the local level. The law, which mandates that a prosecutor must consider every case for which probable cause exists and can’t exclude categories of cases from prosecution, has raised concerns amongst experts who believe that it is unrealistic to expect every case to be considered on an individual basis. The commission, which includes six current or former prosecutors and two other lawyers, will oversee District Attorneys (DAs) and solicitors general – elected prosecutors handling lower-level crimes in some counties. Critics of the new law state that it is a racist attack on Georgia’s 14 non-white DAs who were all democratically elected. Some view the law as Republican retribution against Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney who is currently considering criminal charges against former President Donald Trump over interference in Georgia’s 2020 election. The new rules could also target prosecutors who previously stated that they wouldn’t prosecute abortion-related offenses before the landmark Roe v. Wade case was overturned in 2022. Seven current Georgia DAs fit this description. Efforts to curb prosecutors have been met with mixed success nationwide. For example, in Missouri, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner recently announced her resignation as Republicans maneuvered to oust the Democrat. Meanwhile in Pennsylvania, Republican efforts to impeach Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner are stalled until a court appeal.