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Georgia lawmakers who protested at the Capitol ask state Supreme Court to toss law used in arrest
https://georgiarecorder.com/briefs/georgia-lawmakers-who-protested-at-the-capitol-ask-state-supreme-court-to-toss-law-used-in-arrest/Georgia lawmakers who protested at the Capitol ask state Supreme Court to toss law used in arrest
BY: ROSS WILLIAMS - MAY 15, 2024 4:10 PM
The Georgia Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in the case of two Democratic elected officials arrested while protesting at the state Capitol.
Lawyers representing Congresswoman Nikema Williams and Atlanta state Rep. Park Cannon said the laws used to arrest them are vague, overbroad and violate their free speech rights under the state constitution.
“The Supreme Court said a criminal statute needs to contain intent to disrupt and actual disruption,” Cannon told the Recorder at an event last week. “And the current statute does not have that. And in both of the cases, it’s important to remember that no one had intent to disrupt, and no one actually disrupted anything.”
In 2018, Williams, then a state senator, was arrested by Capitol police along with more than a dozen others as they protested ballot counting procedures in that year’s election in which Gov. Brian Kemp defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams by about 50,000 votes.
[...]
BY: ROSS WILLIAMS - MAY 15, 2024 4:10 PM
The Georgia Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in the case of two Democratic elected officials arrested while protesting at the state Capitol.
Lawyers representing Congresswoman Nikema Williams and Atlanta state Rep. Park Cannon said the laws used to arrest them are vague, overbroad and violate their free speech rights under the state constitution.
“The Supreme Court said a criminal statute needs to contain intent to disrupt and actual disruption,” Cannon told the Recorder at an event last week. “And the current statute does not have that. And in both of the cases, it’s important to remember that no one had intent to disrupt, and no one actually disrupted anything.”
In 2018, Williams, then a state senator, was arrested by Capitol police along with more than a dozen others as they protested ballot counting procedures in that year’s election in which Gov. Brian Kemp defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams by about 50,000 votes.
[...]