Alexia Ridley:
Welcome back to Athens News Matters from WUGA News. I'm Alexia Ridley. Georgia Senate Bill 63 is set to go into effect this summer. It aims to limit the number of people charitable organizations can bond out of jail. However, this week, a judge heard arguments in a lawsuit attempting to block the law from going into effect. I spoke earlier this week with one of the directors of an Athens area cash bond charity involved in the suit. Here's that report. This is WUGA News. I'm Alexia Ridley. A federal judge held a hearing on Senate Bill 63 Friday afternoon. The Georgia ACLU and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University filed the suit on behalf of the nonprofit Bard Business Foundation and two individuals from Athens, Steve Williams and John Van. The law would ban individuals, nonprofits, and charitable organizations from bailing out more than three people a year. Vodicka is a co-coordinator of the Athens Area Court Watch Project. By using funds raised by his church, the organization has provided bail money for more than 100 people in the past three years.
John Vodicka:
The ultimate goal is to have this recent law, Senate Bill 63, declared unconstitutional, which we feel it is. It blatantly deprives nonprofits or charitable organizations from posting bonds for more than three people while, at the same time, commercial for-profit bond companies can proceed as always and post as many bonds as they get hired to do.
Alexia Ridley:
He says the law would shut down their efforts.
John Vodicka:
We posted our first three bonds in the first week of January of this year. We've posted three bonds in one day before with our little bail fund, so we would essentially be out of business in very short order post-July 1 if this law does go into effect.
Alexia Ridley:
In addition, the law would require cash bail for dozens of other offenses.
John Vodicka:
Judges would be mandated to impose a cash bond on charges like trespassing, some traffic offenses, possession of marijuana less than an ounce, etc. Our bail fund here in Athens-Clarke County focuses on those individuals.
Alexia Ridley:
Bard Business is an Atlanta-based nonprofit that also provides cash bail for people held in pretrial detention. The plaintiffs have requested a temporary restraining order and an injunction against the law, which is set to go into effect on July 1st. Alexia Ridley for WUGA News.
