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Judge says lethal injection doesn’t violate Ga. inmate’s rights

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Judge says lethal injection doesn’t violate Ga. inmate’s rights


ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) – A federal judge has ruled against a man on Georgia’s death row who argued that lethal injection could cause him excruciating pain and suggested a firing squad as an alternative.

Michael Wade Nance argued that because of his medical history an injection of the sedative pentobarbital, the only execution method authorized in the state, could cause him severe pain in violation of his constitutional rights.

U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee ruled Thursday that Nance had failed to prove that and, as a result, Boulee didn’t weigh in on whether a firing squad is a feasible alternative.

Michael Wade Nance(WRDW)

Anna Arceneaux, a lawyer for Nance, on Friday declined to comment on the ruling but said they plan to appeal. The case was originally filed in January 2020 and has already been up to the U.S. Supreme Court once before.

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Nance, 63, was convicted and sentenced to death for killing Gabor Balogh in 1993. Nance had just robbed a Gwinnett County bank and abandoned his own car after dye packs hidden in the stolen money exploded. Balogh was backing out of a parking space at a liquor store across the street when Nance pulled open the car door and shot him, according to court filings.

Nance’s lawyers argued that his veins are tough to find by sight and that those that can be seen are compromised. There is a substantial risk that his veins could “blow” during an execution, causing the drug to leak into surrounding tissue and cause intense pain, they wrote.

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His lawyers also argued that Nance’s longtime use of a medication for back pain could make the pentobarbital used in lethal injections ineffective or less effective.

Boulee noted that a doctor who testified for the state during a bench trial in May indicated that since Nance’s suit had been filed he had undergone three separate medical procedures that required an IV to be placed and that there had been no problems.

On the issue of whether his longtime use of a pain medication could interfere with the execution drug, Boulee cited the testimony of a doctor called by Nance’s lawyers who said “no one actually knows” what the effect would be.

The U.S. Supreme Court has said that to challenge an execution method under the Eighth Amendment, a person must show that the method creates “a substantial risk of serious harm” and that there are “known and available alternatives” that are “feasible, readily implemented” and that will significantly reduce the risk of severe pain.

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That is why Nance’s lawyers had raised the possibility of the firing squad.

The lawsuit was initially filed in January 2020, and Boulee ruled in March of that year that Nance’s arguments were procedurally barred because he’d waited too long to make them and that he had failed to show his constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment would be violated.

Nance appealed and a panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that since lethal injection is the only method of execution authorized by Georgia law, Nance was effectively challenging the validity of his death sentence. The panel said Nance was procedurally barred from bringing that type of challenge.

Ga.-based CDC to lose 10% of workforce under Trump job cuts

Nearly 1,300 probationary employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — roughly one-tenth of the agency’s workforce — are being forced out under the Trump administration’s move to get rid of all probationary employees.

CDC leaders say 24 million people have gone to their doctor with flu-like symptoms.

Nance appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned the 11th Circuit ruling. Justice Elena Kagan wrote in the majority opinion that in challenging Georgia’s execution method he was “not confined to proposing a method authorized by the executing State’s law.” There is no reason to believe that amending state law to allow executions by firing squad would be a “substantial impediment” to carrying out the death sentence, she wrote.

That is how the case landed back before Boulee, who held a bench trial in May during which he heard testimony that execution by firing squad would result in a quick death. But because Nance failed to show that his medical conditions would cause him to suffer severe pain during a lethal injection, the judge said he had “no need to address” the firing squad argument.

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Georgia OC Mike Bobo gets giant pay raise, salary matches DC Glenn Schumann

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Georgia OC Mike Bobo gets giant pay raise, salary matches DC Glenn Schumann


Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann will be paid equally in 2026 after receiving raises, according to an Athens Banner-Herald report.

Coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs are coming off a second consecutive SEC championship season and College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl quarterfinal appearance.

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Georgia Lt. Gov. announces bill inspired by Charlie Kirk to protect student speech

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Georgia Lt. Gov. announces bill inspired by Charlie Kirk to protect student speech


Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones on Monday unveiled legislation inspired by the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk that he says would expand students’ free speech rights in public schools, making Georgia the first state in the nation to pursue such a measure.

Jones announced the “True Patriotism and Universal Student Access Act,” known as the TPUSA Act, on Monday as a priority for the 2026 legislative session. The proposal, sponsored by State Sen. Ben Watson (R–Savannah), would strengthen First Amendment protections for public school students by safeguarding their right to speak, organize, and express political and religious views on campus.

The bill is explicitly shaped around the work and legacy of Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA and its political arm, Turning Point Action. Jones and others have framed the legislation as a way to honor Kirk’s efforts to mobilize young conservatives and defend free speech in schools and on college campuses.

“In the spirit and memory of Charlie’s work, the TPUSA Act in Georgia would ensure that students’ First Amendment rights to organize, gather and speak are protected, regardless of their religious, political, or social viewpoints,” Jones said in a press release. “Georgia is leading the way as the first state in the nation to do it.”

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Founder and President of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk speaks during the Turning Point Believers Summit at the Palm Beach County Civic Center on July 26, 2024. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Miami Herald


Jones, who is running for governor and is endorsed by both former President Donald Trump and Turning Point Action, also emphasized his broader commitment to free speech rights as part of his campaign rhetoric. 

“Georgia is building on the work of Charlie Kirk to ensure students can speak, organize and express their beliefs freely,” Jones posted on social media. 

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The TPUSA Act would require public schools in Georgia to permit political expression before, during and after the school day to the same extent that non-political expression is allowed. It also would let students form political clubs and groups during non-instructional time, bar discrimination against groups based on viewpoint, and guarantee that students could wear politically themed clothing and accessories under the same standards that apply to other permitted attire.

Supporters say the legislation would ensure that school administrators cannot block students from engaging in peaceful political activities and that all viewpoints, partisan and nonpartisan, would have equal access to meeting spaces and facilities.

Sen. Watson said the move reflects the belief that schools should not restrict students’ free speech or prohibit them from organizing around their beliefs. 

“School officials should not have the power to enforce their own ideologies on students,” he said.

Josh Thifault, senior director at Turning Point Action, praised Georgia’s effort, asserting that Kirk “lived and died for the First Amendment.” He added that the legislation will benefit students “for decades to come” by removing barriers to student expression.

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Georgia lawmakers stall car boot ban, leaving frustrated drivers with no relief from predatory parking enforcement

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Georgia lawmakers stall car boot ban, leaving frustrated drivers with no relief from predatory parking enforcement


Daryl Terry II had exited a popular wing restaurant, only to discover a heavy metal boot clamped to his car’s wheel. “I think booting should be banned because it’s predatory. You’re preying on people who are just trying to visit business establishments,” Daryl said, shaking his head while holding a $100 boot removal receipt.

Daryl explained that the parking lot was confusing, with faded signs barely visible even in broad daylight. “At night, you can’t see the sign at all,” he said. “By the time I got to my car, there were already two boots on it. The guy told me I left the property and didn’t pay, so he was entitled to boot my car.”

He’s not alone. Maddie Yoder, who works at a nearby bakery, has experienced the same fate. “I’ve worked here for five years. One morning, I quickly grabbed a spot and came back to a boot. The attendant literally waits for people to make a mistake,” she said, pointing out the tricky signage that designates spots for specific businesses.

Both drivers are among many Georgians who hoped a recent State Senate bill would end what they call predatory booting. Democratic State Senator Josh McLaurin, the bill’s sponsor, says the practice is a form of extortion. “Georgia needs to ban the boot. You’re trapped when it happens.”

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Despite gaining bipartisan support, the bill was abruptly killed in a procedural move. It was sent to a committee that, due to the chairman’s resignation, couldn’t hold hearings or move bills forward. 

“That committee is essentially dead,” McLaurin explained. Efforts to get comment from the Lt. Governor’s office about the bill’s demise went unanswered.

McLaurin isn’t giving up. He plans to reintroduce the legislation later this session, hopeful that relief is still possible for Georgia drivers. He also points out an inconsistency: “Towing companies in Georgia are regulated and can’t just wait in a lot for you to mess up. Booting, on the other hand, is barely regulated at all.”

For now, drivers like Daryl and Maddie keep a closer eye on the signs—and their wallets—hoping that lawmakers will finally put the brakes on predatory booting.

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