Ga. — A federal court has temporarily blocked a bill signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp after a lawsuit claimed it violates people’s rights.
Senate Bill 63 makes it more difficult for people to get out of jail in Georgia, adding 30 new offenses, mostly misdemeanors, that require cash bail.
Gov. Kemp signed the bill into law in May, asserting it will keep violent individuals off the streets.
“This bill carries out important bail reforms that will ensure dangerous individuals cannot walk our streets and commit further crimes,” the governor stated.
The new law, originally effective July 1, also limits the number of people bail-assistance organizations can help to three per year.
The Bail Project, a bail-assistance nonprofit, had to shut down its operations in mid-June. Jeremy Cherson, the nonprofit’s communication director, said it helps around 400 people annually.
“Many of our clients would have been in jail for a year or longer, sometimes two years or more, if we didn’t intervene,” Cherson said.