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Opinion: Ethics board members can only serve one four-year term

November 29, 2011 Express Telegraph
ATLANTA — A member of the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission “may serve no more than one complete four year term of office,” the state attorney general’s office state said in a recent opinion. However, Deputy Attorney General Dennis R. Dunn said, a member of the board — formerly known as the State Ethics Commission — “may for a period of less than a complete term hold over in office until his successor
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Inmates use cell phones ‘to commit additional crimes’

November 24, 2011 Express Telegraph
ATLANTA — The state Department of Corrections is investigating a Monday incident at Telfair State Prison in Helena in which Inmates used smuggled cell phones to start a fight. Three inmates were sent to the hospital, and two remain in stable condition. A corrections officer was also hurt. Two dorms at the prison were placed on lock down. But, state officials say smuggled cell phones cause problems. Inmates, authorities say, can use the phones to
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UPDATE: Court upholds death penalty for man claiming mental retardation

November 23, 2011 Express Telegraph
ATLANTA — A federal appeals court this week upheld the death penalty for a man who now claims he is mentally retarded. Warren Lee Hill Jr. did not claim mental retardation during his 1991 trial. However, in 1996, Lee added to a “habeas petition to allege mental retardation for the first time, and he later claimed that Georgia’s reasonable doubt standard of proof (state law) violated the Eighth Amendment,” according to an opinion from the 11th
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Court upholds death penalty for man claiming mental retardation

November 23, 2011 Express Telegraph
ATLANTA — A federal appeals court this week upheld the death penalty for a man who now claims he is mentally retarded. Warren Lee Hill Jr. did not claim mental retardation during his 1991 trial. However, in 1996, Lee added to a “habeas petition to allege mental retardation for the first time, and he later claimed that Georgia’s reasonable doubt standard of proof (state law) violated the Eighth Amendment,” according to an opinion from the 11th
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Price: Kagan must not decide health care law

November 17, 2011 Express Telegraph
Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan must recuse herself from deciding the Constitutionality of the health care law Congress passed last year, a Georgia Congressman said. “The President’s health care law – now headed to the Supreme Court – is a threat to America’s health care system and the principles of affordability, accessibility, quality, responsiveness, innovation, and choices,” U.S Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., said in a statement. “It is important that the Court has agreed to
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Deal: Obamacare case critical to state’s future

November 14, 2011 Express Telegraph
Gov. Nathan Deal welcomed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear Georgia’s case challenging the constitutionality of Obamacare. More than half of the nation’s states have signed on to the case. “The state of Georgia has been a leader in the fight against the crippling mandates of Obamacare,” Deal said in a statement. “As a member of Congress, I was the first to question the constitutionality of the individual mandate on the floor of the
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Disputed report: Paterno contacts defense attorney

November 11, 2011 Express Telegraph
Legendary Penn State football Coach Joe Paterno has “reached out” to a criminal defense attorney with an Atlanta-based firm, NBC news reported. The Paterno camp, according to the report, reached out to J. Sedgwick Sollers, the managing partner of King & Spalding’s Washington’s office, NBC News National Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff reported. Paterno was fired Wednesday in the wake of a child sex abuse scandal involving former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky and two university administrators
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Feds to investigate Penn State’s handling of Sandusky case

November 10, 2011 Express Telegraph
The U.S. Department of Education said it will launch an investigation into whether Penn State University broke federal law in how it handled allegations of sexual misconduct involving minors and a former school official. Former Penn State Defensive Coach Jerry Sandusky has been charged with sexually abusing several young boys, including incidents on campus, authorities said. The school’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday fired Coach Joe Paterno and the university’s president, Graham Spanier. Under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure
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Paterno: ‘I am disappointed with the Board of Trustees’ decision’

November 10, 2011 Express Telegraph
Joe Paterno, in a statement, said he is “disappointed with the Board of Trustees’ decision,” but admitted, “I have to accept it.” The long-time Penn State football coach was fired late Wednesday in the wake of a child sex scandal involving a former assistant coach. “A tragedy occurred, and we all have to have patience to let the legal process proceed,” Paterno said. “I appreciate the outpouring of support but want to emphasize that everyone
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Two Penn State officials face criminal charges

November 7, 2011 Express Telegraph
Following an executive session Sunday night, members of Penn State’s Board of Trustees and President Graham Spanier received a request from athletic director Tim Curley to be placed on administrative leave so he can “devote the time needed to defend himself against recent allegations” by the Pennsylvania Attorney General. In addition, Gary Schultz, interim senior vice president for finance and business, will step down so that he also can defend himself and return to retirement. Both