Georgia

Obama-appointed judge rejects extending Georgia voter registration

Published

1 year ago

October 10, 2024

Obama-appointed judge rejects extending Georgia voter registration

A federal judge in Georgia rejected arguments for the state to reopen voter registration ahead of November’s election due to disruptions caused by Hurricane Helene.

U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2013, said in a verbal ruling on Thursday that she would not extend Georgia’s voter registration deadline, which closed on Monday. Three groups had sued the state to reopen voter registration and extend it until October 14, arguing that devastation from Helene got in the way of people being able to register for the general election.

Ross said in her ruling that the groups did not sufficiently prove that residents were harmed by Helene’s impacts. She also said that there is no state law that grants Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who are both Republicans, the power to extend the voter registration deadline.

“I don’t think we had even one voter who had been harmed or would likely be harmed by failure to register to vote,” Ross said on Thursday, according to the Associated Press (AP) report on the matter.

The lawsuit was filed by the Georgia conference of the NAACP, the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda and the New Georgia Project. Kemp and Raffensperger, the defendants in the case, had argued that the state’s election process would be interrupted if the deadline for voter registration was extended. The state had pointed out that absentee ballots have already been mailed and early in-person voting was scheduled to begin on Tuesday, October 15.

Ross said that the “harm to the state’s interests outweighs the plaintiffs’ interests” in the case.

An apartment at Peachtree Park Apartments can be seen flooded after hurricane Helene brought in heavy rains overnight on September 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. A federal judge rejected efforts to extend Georiga’s voter registration…

Megan Varner/Getty Images

The plaintiffs had argued that they had to cancel their voter registration activities last week after Helene ripped through the Southeast as a Category 4 storm. The hurricane brought widespread flooding and damage stretching from Florida’s Big Bend Region north to the Appalachian Mountains. At least 230 people have died due to the storm.

The groups behind the lawsuit said that voter registrations in Georgia usually spike just before the state’s deadline. Amir Badat, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told Ross that Helene caused “in many circumstances, complete disenfranchisement for prospective voters.”

State lawyers argued in court that there was a difference between an individual’s right to vote and the right of a nonprofit to run a voter registration drive.

The plaintiffs in the case told AP that they disagreed with Ross’ decision but that they are “still going to fight to make sure every voter’s rights are protected.”

“We believe voters were harmed, but this doesn’t deter us,” said Helen Butler, the executive director of the Coalition for the People’s Agenda.

This is a developing story that will be updated as information becomes available.

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Georgia

Man accused of raping University of Georgia student, police say

Published

5 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Man accused of raping University of Georgia student, police say

ATHENS, Ga. – A 19-year-old is facing assault-related charges after police said he raped a University of Georgia student early Saturday morning while she was walking home.

What we know:

Tydarius Wingfield of Athens allegedly approached the student in the area of 400 North Thomas Street just before 1:40 a.m. and asked to walk her home.

Wingfield and the victim did not know each other.

Wingfield then forced the woman behind a building where he sexually assaulted her, police said.

Investigators used the Real Time Crime Center’s camera system to see where the assault happened and track the victim and Wingfield’s movements. Officers continued tracking Wingfield until his arrest and positively identified him using the RTCC technology.

He is charged with rape, kidnapping, aggravated sexual battery and battery.

An investigation is ongoing.

What we don’t know:

It is unclear whether the victim was taken to the hospital after being attacked.

What you can do:

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Detective Burgamy at Charles.Burgamy@accgov.com or 762-400-7173.

The Source: Information in this report comes from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.

Athens-Clarke CountyUniversity of GeorgiaNewsCrime and Public Safety

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Georgia

Georgia’s Iranian community reacts to death of Ayatollah Khamenei

Published

17 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Georgia’s Iranian community reacts to death of Ayatollah Khamenei

ATLANTA – As conflict intensifies between the United States, Israel and Iran, reactions are pouring in across the Atlanta metro area after President Donald Trump confirmed the death of Iran’s supreme leader.

The president confirmed on Truth Social that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint strike led by the U.S. and Israel.

What they’re saying:

“I have been waiting to hear this news for the last 20 years,” said Dr. Sasan Tavassoli, an Atlanta-based pastor born in Iran.

“Ayatollah Khamenei has been responsible for the killing of tens of thousands of Iranians over the last three decades. He has been a very evil dictator and a very oppressive tyrant.”

Other local Iranians, like Shohreh Mir, expressed a long-standing desire for internal change rather than outside intervention.

“This was an imposed war,” Mir said. “We still very much would like for Iranian people to change the regime by themselves.”

What’s next:

Tavassoli said the Ayatollah’s death now creates a new issue.

“Ayatollah Khamenei never invested in raising a succession after himself,” he said, “so the crisis of the Iranian revolution and the Iranian regime is there is no legitimate successor.”

While the long-term duration of the conflict remains unknown, Iran has already begun launching retaliatory strikes following the attack.

“This is a huge development for day one, but the war is not over,” Tavassoli noted. “There are still many ways that things can become even more bloody and destructive in the coming days and weeks.”

The Source: Information in this article came from FOX 5’s Rey Llerena speaking with Iranian Americans across Georgia.

IranDonald J. TrumpNewsPolitics

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Georgia

Body found near Georgia Power dam on Radium Springs Road in Albany

Published

1 day ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Body found near Georgia Power dam on Radium Springs Road in Albany

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – A person was found dead in the 5200 block of Radium Springs Road on Saturday morning, according to Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler.

Body recovered in early morning water rescue call(WALB NEWS 10)

Fowler said the call came in as a water rescue. The body was recovered early Saturday, Feb. 28.

The coroner confirmed the person found was male. His identity and age remain unknown.

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