Political Rewind: Fani Willis considers RICO charges for Trump; YSL trial; GA's justice system

Caption

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is leading an investigation into attempts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.

Credit: John Bazemore | AP

The panel:

Anthony Michael Kreis, professor of constitutional law, @AnthonyMKreis, Georgia State University                                                                                                                                                         

Madeline Thigpen, criminal justice reporter, @mthigs, Capital B

Tamar Hallerman, senior reporter, @TamarHallerman, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution                                                                                                                                                                             

Tiffany Williams Roberts, Public Policy Director, @twrobertslaw, Southern Center for Human Rights

The breakdown:

1. Trump calls for protests Tuesday, as he faces possible charges in a New York case. 

• A Manhattan's district attorney is weighing potential charges against the former president.
  • The office is examining whether Trump and his company broke state laws in paying hush money to adult film Stormy Daniels back in 2016.
  • Trump asserts he will be arrested today, but he is the only person making this claim. 

2.  In Georgia, Trump's lawyers file a motion seeking to derail investigation into Georgia election interference.

• Trump's lawyers want a judge to quash the special grand jury's final report — which is already partially public — and expunge it from the record.
• This would prevent any prosecuting body from using evidence gathered by the jury investigation.

3. Fani Willis is also shouldering the YSL trial.

• Last May, authorities arrested and charged Williams with conspiracy to violate Georgia's RICO Act and participating in a criminal street gang. 
• Rolling Stone published a searing article on the impact the YSL trial is having on the courts and defendants in that and other trials.

4. The Urban League's State of Black Georgia Report highlights injustices in criminal justice system. 

• It found Georgia's Black population sits at 32%, while the State Department of Corrections reports 50% of inmates admitted in 2021 were Black.
• In the communities across the state, those polled said education ranked No. 1, and social justice ranks No. 2.  
• In the Legislature, Senate Bill 44 is headed to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk.
  • The bill increases the mandatory minimum jail time for recruiting someone under age 17 into a gang to 10 years.
  • Critics of the bill say it doesn't address the socioeconomic reasons people join gangs, supporters say it will get criminals off the street. 

Wednesday on Political Rewind: The AJC's Greg Bluestein joins the panel.