"A Fulton County judge says he will toss the racketeering charges against 61 people who were arrested in connection with the protests against the construction of the Atlanta police training facility, commonly known as "Cop City." The Associated Press (AP) reports that Fulton County Judge Kevin Farmer said Republican Attorney General Chris Carr needed to obtain Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's (R) permission to pursue the prosecutions, which he did not do."
"Farmer said Carr did not have the authority to charge the defendants with arson, according to AP 's report. Deputy Attorney General John Fowler told the judge that his decision is "wholly incorrect." "The State's delay appears to be deliberate, weighing heavily against it," the judge wrote in his ruling. Farmer said he plans to file a formal order soon and is not sure whether he would quash the entire indictment or let the domestic terrorism charge stand, though he said he expects the prosecution to appeal regardless,"
A Fulton County judge ruled that racketeering charges against 61 people arrested during protests against the Atlanta police training facility will be tossed because the attorney general did not obtain gubernatorial permission to pursue the prosecutions. Five of the 61 faced additional arson and domestic terrorism charges. The judge found that the state delayed its actions in a way that weighed against the prosecution. The attorney general was said to lack authority to pursue arson charges. The deputy attorney general called the decision incorrect. The judge plans a formal order and the prosecution is expected to appeal.
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