GA gov. signs bill to create commission to investigate, potentially remove district attorneys

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a measure to establish a commission with the power to investigate and potentially remove district attorneys from office.

But critics argue the measure attacks progressive prosecutors, saying it’s a "national right-wing coordinated effort to undo the will of voters," particularly minority voters.

Senate Bill 92 ostensibly aims to crack down on liberal prosecutors who decline to prosecute cases. It creates the eight-member Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission with the power to investigate district attorneys and solicitors-general and potentially discipline, remove, or force them to retire.

"As hardworking law enforcement officers routinely put their lives on the line to investigate, confront, and arrest criminal offenders, I won’t stand idly by as they’re met with resistance from rogue or incompetent prosecutors who refuse to uphold the law," Kemp said in an announcement. "The creation of the PACQ will help hold prosecutors driven by out-of-touch politics than commitment to their responsibilities accountable and make our communities safer."

The measure requires district attorneys and solicitors-general to review every case where probable cause exists and decide whether to prosecute. It also clarifies that a district attorney or solicitor-general could be recalled.

"This measure will ensure that our state continues to maintain an honest and ethical criminal justice system," state Sen. Randy Robertson, R-Cataula, said in a statement. "In order to do so, we must hold our prosecuting attorneys and solicitor generals to the same high standards that we hold our law enforcement to."

The commission must also designate standards of conduct and rules for the Georgia Supreme Court’s approval by Oct. 1.

"Georgians deserve a voice in deciding how the criminal legal system works in their communities, and Senate Bill 92 seeks to take away the voice of Georgia voters," Fair Fight Action Deputy Executive Director Esosa Osa said in a statement.

"Make no mistake: this is part of a larger trend we are seeing nationally, where some far-right politicians are using every tool available to overturn elections," Osa added. "From Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Iowa, Pennsylvania, to Georgia—this is a coordinated effort that will impact voters across the country."