Lawyers for former President Donald Trump argued in a court filing that the charges against him in the Georgia election interference case seek to criminalize political speech and advocacy conduct that is protected by the First Amendment. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee plans to hear arguments on that filing and on two pretrial motions filed by former Georgia Republican Party chair David Shafer during a hearing set for Thursday.
Three white men are asking a U.S. appeals court to throw out their hate crime convictions in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. The 25-year-old Black man was chased by men in pickup trucks and fatally shot in the streets of a coastal Georgia subdivision in 2020.
Georgia lawmakers are agreeing on pay raises for public school teachers and state employees, although they still have differences to work out in the upcoming budget. State senators on Tuesday voted 53-1 to pass the budget for the year beginning July 1.