ATLANTA — Attorney General Chris Carr says he and his office are preparing to file an appeal after a Fulton County judge dismissed racketeering charges against 61 protestors accused of attempting to stop the construction of a new public safety training center.
Channel 2’s Michael Seiden spoke with a criminal defense attorney who is representing one of those defendants.
She didn’t hold back when he asked her opinion on what legal experts are calling the largest criminal racketeering case ever filed against protestors in U.S. history.
“This is probably the most poorly drafted indictment I’ve seen in my legal career,” defense attorney Amanda Clark Palmer said.
Clark Palmer said she was pleasantly surprised that Judge Kevin Farmer announced his decision on Tuesday.
Farmer said during the hearing that Carr needed Gov. Brian Kemp’s permission to pursue this case instead of the local district attorney.
“Judge Farmer found that the prosecutor in this case from the Attorney General’s Office did not follow the appropriate procedure that’s required by law in order to bring this kind of indictment,” Clark Palmer said.
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The defendants in this case are accused of committing numerous crimes, some of which were violent, including this incident in 2023 when surveillance cameras captured the moment members of this group started tossing Molotov cocktails at police officers.
But defense attorneys argue that most of the people charged in this RICO case did not participate in the violence and instead are charged because they participated in protests against the government.
“My client and many others in this case are being penalized solely for exercising their First Amendment Constitutional rights to free speech and the right to assembly,” Clark Palmer said.
A spokeswoman for Carr’s office issued a statement:
“The Attorney General will continue the fight against domestic terrorists and violent criminals who want to destroy life and property. We strongly disagree with this decision and will appeal immediately.”
According to the indictment, five of the 61 defendants are also charged with domestic terrorism and first-degree arson.
But Farmer said he may dismiss those charges as well. It may not become clear until he files his formal order.
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