Brian Kemp signs bill empowering state commission to discipline prosecutors

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday signed legislation empowering the state Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission to remove prosecutors or impose other sanctions.

In 2023, he approved creation of the panel, though the Georgia Supreme Court blocked its operations by rejecting its governing rules, the Associated Press reported. The Wednesday law will permit the panel to begin operations under with considerable disciplinary authority.

The bill would further require that solicitors general and district attorneys evaluate cases individually rather than implement blanket non-prosecution policies for certain classes of crimes. Republicans have long pointed to a host of district attorneys who have embraced such policies, which they say have exacerbated the crime situation in major American cities.

"This legislation will help us ensure rogue and incompetent prosecutors are held accountable if they refuse to uphold the law," Kemp said. "As we know all too well, crime has been on the rise across the country, and is especially prevalent in cities where prosecutors are giving criminals a free pass or failing to put them behind bars due to lack of professional conduct."

Democrats, meanwhile, have contended the bill is an attempt to shut down Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis's prosecution of former President Donald Trump. She indicted Trump and 18 codefendants in August of last year. Her case, however, has become embroiled in scandal over a romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade and allegations of misconducts. Judge Scott McAfee is expected to issue a decision on disqualifying her this week.

"[It] has unchecked power to remove prosecutors whose decisions they disagree with, no matter how well a district attorney or solicitor general represents the voters who elected them in the courtroom," DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said after Kemp signed the measure, according to Atlanta News First. Boston plans to challenge the law.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.