A crowd of a couple hundred people gathered at the intersection of Marietta Street and Centennial Olympic Park on May 3, 2022, to demonstrating in support of abortion access.

A crowd of a couple hundred people gathered at the intersection of Marietta Street and Centennial Olympic Park on May 3, 2022, to demonstrating in support of abortion access.

Credit: Sarah Kallis, GPB News

The panel:

Dr. Adrienne Jones — Professor of political science, Morehouse University 

Fred Smith — Emory University, School of Law  

Greg Bluestein — Politics reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 

Riley Bunch — Public policy reporter, GPB News  

 

The breakdown: 

1. Georgia Republicans signal they could push for a special session if Roe v. Wade is overturned. 

  • In a leaked draft from Politico, Justice Samuel Alito suggests states should decide on abortion laws.
  • Georgia's so-called "heartbeat law" is stricter than the Mississippi law at the center of the case that the high court is considering.
    • Georgia passed House Bill 481, which bans abortions after six weeks, but it has been held back in federal court. 
  • The Georgia Legislature is adjourned until next year.
    • To pass additional abortion restrictions before the start of the 2023 session would require the governor to call a special session.
  • Gubernatorial candidate David Perdue said that if he is elected in November he would push to enact a ban on abortions in Georgia.
  • On the other side of the aisle, Stacey Abrams said she was "enraged" by the news.

 

2. The Supreme Court will investigate the how the opinion on Roe v. Wade leaked.

  • The final decision is expected to come down in late June.
  • On Twitter, Gov. Brian Kemp said he supports an investigation into the breach.

Emory professor and former SCOTUS clerk Fred Smith said internal deliberations behind the scenes help justices feel more free to discuss law. He said the leak is unlikely to shift the opinions of any justices at this stage of the debate over Roe v Wade.

 

3. Early voting sets a record for the May Primary. 

  • Election data shows more than 27,000 Georgians voted in person Monday.
    • So far, more Republicans have cast votes than Democrats.
  • 14,950 people voted on the first day of early voting back in 2020. 
  • Early voting is available across Georgia every weekday and on two Saturdays until May 20.   

 

4. Georgia sets $1.5 billion in aid for Rivian.

  • The electric vehicle maker promised 7,500 jobs to Georgia.
  • Perdue and others in the community have criticized what they call a lack of transparency about the deal.

 

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Tags: roe v wade  Heartbeat Bill  Roe v. Wade  Politics  Georgia  Georgia Politics  Bill Nigut  Political Rewind  Greg Bluestein  early voting