Abortion providers and advocacy groups have filed a new lawsuit challenging Georgia’s abortion law based on privacy protections in the state's constitution.
The law, passed in 2019, effectively bans most abortions about six weeks into a pregnancy, before many women know they’re pregnant. A federal appeals court allowed it to take effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday says the Georgia Constitution provides particularly robust protection for the fundamental right to privacy that doesn’t allow political interference with the decision to continue or end a pregnancy.
Independent candidates for Oconee school board to appear on ballot
Two independent candidates will appear on the ballot in November seeking two positions on the Oconee County School Board. The county's Board of Elections voted to accept the candidates after they submitted a sufficient number of signatures of voters on petitions supporting their candidacy.
The board spent seven days checking to make sure they had followed state law in the petition effort and checking signatures on each petition to match it to voter registration forms on file.
Ryan Repetske is seeking post 2 and will face republican Amy Parrish, and Melissa Eagling will face republican Ryan Hammock for post 3. The Democratic Party did not offer any candidates for the local elections.
Judge shuts down appeal in Greene case
A judge in Atlanta has rejected an appeal by a group of voters and affirmed the Georgia secretary of state’s decision that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is eligible to run for reelection.
The five voters from Greene’s district sought to have her removed from the ballot, saying that she played a significant role in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot on the U.S. Capitol that disrupted Congress’ certification of Biden’s presidential victory.
The group argued it was a violation of a rarely invoked provision in the 14th Amendment against insurrection or rebellion. Greene was questioned extensively during a daylong hearing in April before Georgia Administrative Law Judge Charles Beaudrot, who ruled on May 6 that Greene should not be disqualified.
Greene won about 70% of the vote in the May Republican primary, easily defeating five challengers who tried to unseat her. She faces Democrat Marcus Flowers in November’s general election.
Port of Savannah moves record traffic
The Port of Savannah saw record-breaking cargo volumes this past fiscal year amid a surge in imports and West Coast backlogs that prompted shippers to reroute goods to the East Coast.
The Georgia Ports Authority said that docks in Savannah handled nearly 5.8 million container units of imports and exports in the fiscal year that ended June 30, an increase of 8% from a year ago, when the port exceeded 5 million container units for the first time.
Even with the success, roughly 40 ships were sitting at anchor offshore Tuesday waiting to transit the Savannah River and unload at the port’s overflowing docks.
