ATLANTA — Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr says he plans to appeal after a Fulton County judge dismissed racketeering charges against dozens of protesters connected to demonstrations against Atlanta’s Public Safety Training Center.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kevin Farmer ruled that the attorney general did not have the authority to bring the racketeering charges without permission from the governor. The judge said allowing the charges to move forward could give the attorney general too much power in future cases.
The ruling throws out the racketeering count against all 61 defendants who were charged in what has been described as the largest criminal racketeering case ever filed against protesters in U.S. history.
Judge Farmer said the law does allow the attorney general to bring certain racketeering cases, but not in this instance. He noted the attorney general could seek permission from the governor to refile the charge, but that did not happen in this case.
Carr’s office says it strongly disagrees with the decision, calling the case a domestic terrorism matter. The attorney general’s office also noted it has previously brought numerous racketeering cases involving gangs, fraud, theft, and public corruption.
Five of the defendants in the case still face separate domestic terrorism and arson charges tied to the burning of a police car in downtown Atlanta in 2023. Those charges were not addressed in the judge’s ruling.
Carr’s office says it plans to appeal the ruling.
But for now, the attorney for one of the five dozen “Stop Cop City” protesters says he’s breathing a sigh of relief.
Amanda Clark-Palmer’s client Timothy Bilodeau lives in Massachusetts.
“We’re still a year away from knowing whether this ruling is going to hold up on appeal,” Clark-Palmer said. “And if it does, what does the state do next? Do they try to reindict?”
The judge’s decision only applies to the racketeering charge. Other charges against some of the defendants remain pending in both Fulton and DeKalb counties.