The Act primarily functions to expand the list of serious offenses for which bail or surety is required by adding thirty new offenses, including misdemeanors that have a mandatory cash bail. It also requires many repeat offenders to post bail or surety. In addition, the Act restricts organizations, charities, or
The Act includes various amendments to Georgia’s Judicial and Criminal Codes. Two changes are most notable. First, the Act permits the vacating of sentences for victims of human trafficking who were convicted under Article 3 of Chapter 8 of Title 42— Georgia’s first offender statute. Second, the Act
This Note explores the majority opinion and the dissents in Pena- Rodriguez regarding whether the Supreme Court has adequately provided guidance for lower courts to follow the ruling, which now allows exceptions for evidence of racial bias to Rule 606(b). Part I discusses the history of the no-impeachment rule,
The bill would have removed the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council’s authority over the public defender system and changed it to an advisory body only. The public defender system itself would have changed from an independent entity to a state agency named the Georgia Public Defender Agency.
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The Bill clarifies and changes provisions related to fees and the collection of fees for indigent defense services. The Bill provides that local victim assistance funds collected by the courts shall be paid directly to the county governing authority or the district attorney. Further, the Bill provides that the Criminal
The Act clarifies and amends the Georgia law regarding the justifiable use of deadly force and duty to retreat. Its purposes are to extend the protections of the castle doctrine beyond one's home, vehicle and business to anywhere one has the legal right to be; to codify explicitly
The Georgia Indigent Defense Act creates a state-wide public defender system overseen by the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council. The Council will establish guidelines to ensure consistent and quality legal representation of all indigent defendants. The Act addresses qualification and training, caseload size, performance and compensation standards, as well as
