Georgia in Play: Georgia's abortion law, voting rights under review and why farmers want more hunters

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Credit: GPB News archives and Buford Corn Maze

Highlights from the show:

The first legal challenge against Georgia's six-week abortion ban fell short

After nearly a year, the state Supreme Court threw out a lower court ruling that argued Georgia's abortion law was void ad initio, or void from the start since it was passed in 2019 while Roe v. Wade was still the law of the land. The law still faces several legal arguments, since Judge Robert McBurney's ruling only addressed one facet of the SisterSong lawsuit. Former state senator and civil attorney Jen Jordan spoke with Leah about the future of this legislation.

New developments in Georgia's voting access

Georgia's S.B. 202 was passed after election misinformation spread rapidly during the 2020 election. A federal court recently decline to block parts of the bill. However, after Leah spoke with legal scholar Anthony Michael Kreis, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled that Georgia's congressional and legal districts unfairly and illegally diluted Black voting power in the state. Governor Brian Kemp announced that the legislature would hold a special session Nov. 29 to redrew districts.

Georgia's farmers need help from deer hunters

Farmers across middle and south Georgia have another pest to worry about: white-tailed deer. GPB's Sofi Gratas spoke with Neil Lee, a farmer in Dawson, about the damage done to his cotton, peanut, and soybean crops. He says he's looking to lease his land to hunters to keep deer away, but Gratas raised a new concern from her reporting at Georgia's Department of Natural Resources: There's not as many people hunting, but she spoke with two new prospective hunters on why they're interested in the hobby.

Aw, shucks: The Buford Corn Maze takes a national spotlight

Once again, Country Living magazine featured the Buford Corn Maze in their list of top corn mazes nationwide. Host Leah Fleming spoke with Jeff Manley, a maze operator and 'agritourism' expert about what makes corn mazes so special this time of year.