A.M. ATL: SCOTUS, Trump and Fulton County
Morning, y’all! I’m back from my little brother’s wedding festivities (where I delivered a devastatingly funny reception speech, of course) and ready to rock.
- The forecast: High temperatures should stay in the upper 80s. So that’s nice.
- New from overnight: A triple shooting in northwest Atlanta left two young teens dead and another wounded. Stay tuned to AJC.com for updates.
Otherwise, today’s newsletter offers the latest on a fatal family plane crash, another delay in Young Thug’s gang trial and the Braves’ forthcoming homestand.
And don’t miss AJC publisher Andrew Morse addressing the editorial board’s decision to call for President Joe Biden to step aside (plus reactions from readers like you).
But first: a significant SCOTUS ruling and what it means for Fulton County’s criminal case against Donald Trump.
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IMMUNITY IMPLICATIONS
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a historic ruling tied to Donald Trump’s federal election interference case on Monday. Let’s take a quick look at what it says and the implications for Fulton County’s separate-but-similar case, shall we?
The gist: The court’s 6-3 ruling (read the full thing here) found that former presidents can’t be prosecuted for “official acts.” But there’s no immunity for “unofficial acts.”
The rub: Generally speaking, that means presidents are in the clear for actions taken while doing their job. Not related to their presidential duties? Prosecute away.
- But where’s the line between president and presidential candidate? The justices did not classify Trump’s various actions in the federal case one way or another, deferring the decision back to a lower court.
- That further prolongs the case’s timeline — and all but eliminates the possibility of a trial before November’s election.
As for Fulton: It seems Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee must now revisit the 10 felony counts against Trump, weigh the underlying actions against the high court ruling and determine which remain pursuable by local prosecutors.
- Georgia State University law professor Anthony Michael Kreis said many of Trump’s actions likely fall under private, unofficial conduct. That includes the now-infamous January 2021 phone call pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” him more votes.
- Other actions are murkier. The ruling could limit evidence related to Trump’s interactions with former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, both of whom are co-defendants in the Fulton case.
“There’s not much clear guidance at all,” Atlanta defense attorney Andrew Fleischman said. “I think Georgia courts will likely also have to apply this novel analysis, and that creates a lot of opportunity for delay.”
The odds of the Fulton case heading to trial before the election were, of course, already slim-to-none. It remains on pause while the Georgia Court of Appeals considers McAfee’s previous ruling declining to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis.
Read lots more about the potential implications here — and check out the AJC’s Trump indictment newsletter, the related podcast and all things “Politically Georgia,” too.
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A FAMILY TRAGEDY
Authorities say five members of the same Alpharetta family — including two children — died when their small plane crashed in New York. A cause is unclear.
- The Van Epps family was headed home after a youth baseball tournament in Cooperstown. Twelve-year-old J.R. had hit a grand slam just a few hours earlier.
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MORE COURT-RELATED ACTIVITIES
» The Atlanta City Council approved a $2 million settlement for two college students who sued after being pulled from their car and Tasered during 2020 protests over the death of George Floyd.
» Young Thug’s never-ending Fulton County trial is halted again, pending a ruling on whether Judge Ural Glanville should recuse himself over an ex parte conversation that caused a whole lotta hubbub.
» Georgia joined other Republican-led states suing the Biden administration over a plan to expand protections for migrant farmworkers.
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PARDON OUR PROGRESS
The team behind Centennial Yards plans to break ground this week on the development’s eight-acre entertainment district. It’s a big milestone for the project aimed at transforming downtown Atlanta.
- It also means the closure of several parking lots in the Gulch area — and potential issues for federal workers and folks attending sporting events and concerts.
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BEACH SAFELY
Enjoying a little sun and sand this week? A recent spate of shark attacks on the Gulf Coast ain’t the only thing to keep in mind.
- Last month, riptides near Panama City Beach killed five people in a four-day span. Prepare yourself with tips on how to handle them.
- Most important: Remain calm and swim parallel to the shoreline and the current, not against it.
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HOLIDAY HOMESTAND
The Braves, hot-hitting outfielder Jarred Kelenic and reinstated reliever A.J. Minter start a home series with the Giants tonight (7:20 p.m. on Bally Sports South).
Wednesday’s game includes a very cool Spiderman-themed Michael Harris bobblehead for the first 15,000 fans. Thursday’s contest offers a pre-game concert and post-game fireworks.
More sports highlights:
- New Hawk Zaccharie Risacher already had a teammate from Atlanta: former metro area high school star Bryce Brown, who provided some insight into the No. 1 overall draft pick.
- The Atlanta Dream host the Chicago Sky and rookie phenom Angel Reese tonight (7 p.m. on Peachtree TV).
- Daniel Haugh, an assistant coach at Kennesaw State, will compete in the hammer throw at the Paris Olympics.
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» Emory’s Candler School of Theology names new dean
» Candidates qualify for open Atlanta council seat
» Usher, Killer Mike win big at BET Awards
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ON THIS DATE
July 2, 1964
Our city’s pro sports aspirations got a lot more real, with AJC icon Furman Bisher relaying news of the Milwaukee Braves’ plans to relocate to Atlanta. It was actually the Sporting News that broke the story.
“I assure you this: It would not have been published had we not been absolutely sure that our source was trustworthy,” that paper’s publisher told Bisher.
The Braves, of course, did move to Atlanta — but not until 1966, a year later than predicted.
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
AJC photographer John Spink captured an Atlanta firefighter working a blaze at a vacant Bankhead apartment building.
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ONE MORE THING
Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday is in October. He’s already been in hospice care for 16 months, but plans for a celebration are underway.
“I think he is going to make it to 100,” said Jill Stuckey, a family friend and superintendent of the former president’s eponymous national park in Plains.
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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
