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Plaintiffs in Lawsuit Challenging Limits on Cash Bail Expect Court Hearing in January

File inside jail
RICHARD BOUHET/AFP/Getty Images
File inside jail.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit seeking to block legislation limiting cash bail expect a hearing early in the new year. Attorneys for Athens residents John Vodicka, and Steve Williams, along with Barred Business of Atlanta will go before a three-judge panel from the U.S. 11th Circuit Court. Vodicka says cash bail puts an undue burden on those who can least afford it.

“To date, since we’ve started posting bail for folks in June of 2021, we’ve posted bond for 128 individuals in our jail,” Vodicka said. “And a dozen or so of those bonds have been as low as a dollar. The maximum amount of bail that we’ve paid for any individual has been $500 plus the fees added on which totals another 150 or so.”

Attorneys for the plaintiffs received a temporary restraining order preventing the portion of Senate Bill 63 which limits charitable bailouts from going into effect.

“Since July 1st, thanks to the lawsuit and the judge’s stay that allows us to continue to post bonds, since July 1st, we’ve been able to post 27 bonds instead of just the three that the law said we were limited to.”

Attorneys with the ACLU and Georgetown University are representing the plaintiffs.

Alexia Ridley joined WUGA as Television and Radio News Anchor and Reporter in 2013. When WUGA TV concluded operations, she became the primary Reporter for WUGA Radio. Alexia came to Athens from Macon where she served as the News Director and show host for WGXA TV. She's a career journalist and Savannah native hailing from the University of Michigan. However, Alexia considers herself an honorary UGA DAWG!