Georgia enacts law letting panel punish, oust prosecutors

By JEFF AMY
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has signed a bill into law creating a new commission empowered to discipline and remove wayward prosecutors. Kemp said Friday that the measure will curb “far-left prosecutors” who are “making our communities less safe.” The Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission will start accepting complaints Oct. 1. Georgia’s law parallels efforts to remove prosecutors in Florida, Indiana, Missouri and Pennsylvania. It’s also part of broader disputes nationwide over how certain criminal offenses should be charged. All the efforts strike at the question of prosecutorial discretion — a prosecutor’s decision of what cases to try and what charges to bring.