Inside the state legislature

The state legislature passed the "divisive concepts" bill this past session, limiting what teachers can teach in classrooms.

Credit: File photo

The panel

Adrienne Jones, @adriennemjns, professor of political science, Morehouse College

Donna Lowry, @donnalowrynews, host, GPB-TV’s Lawmakers

Jim Galloway, @JimJournalist, former political columnist, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Kevin Riley, @ajceditor, editor-at-large, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 

The breakdown

1. Georgia's 'divisive concepts' law may lead to teacher's dismissal.

  • Teacher Katie Rinderle read My Shadow is Purple to her class of fifth grade gifted students, at their request. The book allegedly challenges gender norms.
  • Rinderle's lawyer says “she made the book part of a lesson about diversity, inclusion, acceptance, understanding and all the positive things that we want to have out of our public school students."
  • A termination tribunal will meet on Aug. 3 to discuss her employment status.

 

2. State officials dismiss two high-profile election fraud investigations.

  • Allegations against election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss featured in the January 6th Committee Hearings in the U.S. House. They were exonerated of any wrongdoing, two and a half years after Rudy Giuliani played implicated them to state lawmakers in December of 2020.
  • Meanwhile, the GBI has not released any new findings after cybersecurity experts improperly accessed voters' data in Coffee County in order to find evidence of election fraud.
  • State Republicans jumped on a report that suggests Georgia's election infrastructure has security vulnerabilities. A separate report acknowledged the risk of bad actors taking advantage of those cracks is low.

 

3. Tomorrow marks the anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson and the end of Roe v. Wade.

  • A new Gallup poll finds 61% of Americans think ending Roe was 'a bad thing.' The poll also finds support for abortion access is on the rise.
  • Georgia's abortion law is currently held up in court, but held in place. The law was written and passed before Roe v. Wade was overturned.

 

Monday on Political Rewind: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Patricia Murphy joins the panel.

Tags: Georgia  Georgia Politics  Atlanta  Macon  Savannah  Education  state legislature