Political Rewind: The final day of legislative session; GA Supreme Court hears case on abortion law

Caption

Lawmakers work in the House chambers during crossover day at the Georgia State Capitol on Monday, March 6, 2023, in Atlanta.

Credit: AP Photo/Alex Slitz

The panel: 

Audrey Hayes, political science professor, University of Georgia

Greg Bluestein, @bluestein, political reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Patricia Murphy, @MurphyAJC, political reporter and columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tammy Greer, political science professor, Clark Atlanta University

The breakdown:

1. Today is the last day of the legislative session. 

• Many controversial bills, including Senate Bill 140 which bans most care for transgender minors, have already been signed by the governor. 
• Gov. Brian Kemp made a last-minute push for school vouchers. 
• The mental health bill stalls out as the Sine Die deadline approaches. 
• The Legislature also needs to come to an agreement on the state's budget. The latest version before Sine Die included cuts to higher education and Georgia Public Broadcasting. 

2. On Tuesday, the Georgia Supreme Court heard arguments from both sides in the case that questions the constitutionality of the state's six-week abortion ban.

• The case from physicians and reproductive rights organizations, among others, argues Georgia's abortion law is void because when it passed in 2019, the right to abortion was still protected under the U.S. Constitution.

  • Solicitor General Stephen Petrany, representing the state, claims that argument doesn't stand following the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

•  HB 481 was overturned by a Superior Court decision last November, but the state Supreme Court quickly filed an appeal reinstating the ban.

  •  Court justices have promised a ruling as soon as possible.

Thursday on Political Rewind: GPB's Lawmakers' Sarah Kallis joins the panel.