Georgia

Georgia to Change Stance on Sentencing After High Costs and a Doubled Inmate Population

With $1 billion in state prison operation costs and a doubled inmate population in the past two decades, Georgia is looking toward its fellow Southern states for examples of successful alternatives to prison time for nonviolent offenders. The winter, Georgia’s General Assembly will examine ways to send fewer people to…

Jan 3, 2012 8:33 PM CST

Longtime Ga. Judge Facing Disciplinary Case After ‘This American Life’ Broadcast Will Retire

Faced with new charges in a sweeping ethics case, a longtime Georgia judge whose allegedly displayed favoritism toward some in her courtroom and abusive and overly punitive behavior toward others has agreed to step down. Chief Judge Amanda Williams of Brunswick, who oversees the superior court drug programs in Camden,…

Dec 20, 2011 10:28 PM CST

Pecan Theft Crime Wave Boosts Ga. Felony Docket; Some Nutty Cases Charged as Burglaries

A pecan theft crime wave is sweeping across Georgia, thanks to a rough economy and a major Texas drought has driven up the wholesale price of the nut to $1.50 a pound. With ripe pecans literally sprinkling the ground in orchards like coins, thieves are scooping them up and cashing…

Dec 20, 2011 9:15 PM CST

Transgender Woman Returns to Georgia Legislature Job After 11th Circuit Ruling

Vandy Beth Glenn, a transgender woman who lost her legislative editor job with the Georgia Office of Legislative Counsel, is back at work now after an 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that her termination violated her civil rights. “I never should have been fired in the first place.…

Dec 14, 2011 9:10 PM CST

Mercer U Law Grad McDaniel Faces Death Penalty If Convicted in Slaying of Classmate Lauren Giddings

A Georgia prosecutor said in a Bibb County court filing today that he intends to seek the death penalty if Mercer University law graduate Steven McDaniel is convicted in the June dismemberment killing of his classmate Lauren Giddings. McDaniel, 26, has been jailed since July 1, following the slaying of…

Dec 8, 2011 9:46 PM CST

Lawyer Hailed as Hero for Saving Boy Is Accused of Stealing Client Money

An Alabama lawyer credited with saving the life of a boy and his mother last year is facing civil suits filed by four former clients claiming they never received settlement money. The lawyer, Dana Gentry, lives in Phenix City, Ala., and also practices in Columbus, Ga., the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reports.…

Dec 6, 2011 2:12 PM CST

Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Stealing $145K from His Atlanta Law Firm

A lawyer has pleaded guilty to stealing $145,000 from an Atlanta law firm where he worked as a managing attorney. Wayne Williams, 50, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to theft and forgery, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. He was accused of stealing the money from the…

Dec 6, 2011 1:35 PM CST

NJ Lawyer Is Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Seeking Sex with 7-Year-Old Girl

A New Jersey lawyer has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to seeking sex with a 7-year-old girl. Tobin Nilsen, a 58-year-old solo from Buena, N.J., tried to arrange the encounter through a woman he believed was her mother, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. He connected with…

Nov 30, 2011 4:03 PM CST

Judge Hit in Radio Show Is Accused in Ethics Complaint of Nepotism, Rudeness, ‘Baby Momma’ Jailing

A Georgia drug court judge scrutinized on the radio show This American Life has been accused in an ethics complaint of appointing her daughter as a guardian ad litem and jailing a defendant for using the term “baby momma.” Amanda Williams of Brunswick is the chief superior court judge overseeing…

Nov 10, 2011 1:45 PM CST

Real Estate Lawyer Closes Office Temporarily; Bank Asks Court to Decide Who Gets $473K Trust Account

A well-known Georgia real estate lawyer has temporarily closed his Columbus office amidst an audit, and a local bank has asked a Muscogee County court to determine who should get the nearly $473,000 in his attorney trust account, the Ledger-Enquirer reports. “Our title insurance underwriters have suspended our access and…

Nov 2, 2011 9:48 PM CDT

4 Charged in Alleged Fringe Plot Targeting DOJ, Federal Judges and IRS to ‘Save’ Constitution

Federal authorities in Georgia have arrested four men they say are involved in an alleged fringe militia plot targeting the U.S. Department of Justice, federal judges and the Internal Revenue Service for attack by explosives and ricin, a highly toxic derivative of castor beans. Dan Roberts, 67, allegedly was captured…

Nov 1, 2011 11:51 PM CDT

Police Probe Suspicious Package Left at Historic Courthouse, Learn Box Has Bovine Contents

Corrected: Police in Decatur, Ga., were summoned Thursday to a historic courthouse at Decatur Square in an incident that turned out to be a cattle call. Police were called to investigate a suspicious package wrapped in duct tape left on the courthouse grounds, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. A bomb-sniffing dog…

Oct 28, 2011 12:53 PM CDT

Was BigLaw Firm’s Contingency Agreement a Conflict? Judge Rejects Disqualification Bid Citing Deal

Time is on King & Spalding’s side in a $100 million suit against a construction management company on behalf of a Georgia school district. Judge Clarence Seeliger refused to disqualify the law firm, saying the cost of replacing King & Spalding five years into the litigation would be “prohibitive,” the…

Oct 14, 2011 3:17 PM CDT

Judge Rules Against Teacher Who Says She Was Fired Over Facebook Photos

An Atlanta judge ruled against a former teacher who lost her job after an anonymous complaint was filed to the school district about photos posted on Facebook. Ashley Payne, who says she was forced to resign over pictures of her holding an alcoholic drink while on vacation in Europe, sued…

Oct 11, 2011 9:08 PM CDT

Muslim Woman Jailed After Trying to Enter Ga. Court With Religious Head Covering Settles Suit

A Muslim woman who reportedly was jailed for contempt of court after she refused to remove her religious head covering when she tried to accompany a nephew to a Georgia municipal court several years ago has settled her lawsuit over the incident in the city of Douglasville. Lisa Valentine protested…

Oct 6, 2011 5:15 PM CDT