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The House voted 95-75 along party lines for House Bill 881, sending it to the Senate for further debate. Monday's measure removes the requirement for Supreme Court approval. Trump on Thursday joined an effort by co-defendant Michael Roman to have Willis, Wade and their offices thrown off the case. Kemp has said he prefers that the prosecutor oversight panel and not the Senate committee probe any accusations of misconduct by Willis. But Democrats warn that removing the requirement for the Supreme Court to review rules could leave the commission itself without oversight.

Persons: Fani Willis ’, Donald Trump, Bill, Brian Kemp, Joseph Gullett, Willis, “, Donald J, Trump, ”, Sam Park, Nathan Wade, Michael Roman, Wade, Ashleigh Merchant, Roman, Martin Luther King Jr, Wade —, —, Kemp, Tanya Miller, aren’t, Houston Gaines Organizations: ATLANTA, —, The, Senate, Georgia Gov, Commission, Dallas Republican, Democratic, Lawrenceville Democrat, Atlanta Democrat, Republicans, Athens Republican Locations: — Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, Miami, San Francisco, Wade, Athens

☆ Georgia state Senate approves special committee investigation into Fani Willis
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Shirin Faqiri | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Georgia state Senate on Friday passed a resolution creating a special committee to investigate Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis amid allegations of an improper affair with her lead prosecutor in the 2020 election subversion case against former President Donald Trump. The resolution, which cleared the GOP-controlled state Senate 30-19, allows the special committee to subpoena people and evidence while putting witnesses under oath for their testimonies. “This resolution is about an officer of the state of Georgia, within a subdivision of the state of Georgia, and how they are using state funds,” Dolezal said on the Senate floor. Willis and Wade have not directly addressed the accusations, and the Fulton County district attorney’s office has not yet commented on the allegations specifically. The judge overseeing the case against Trump has given Willis until the end of next week to reply in writing to the allegations to the court.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Sen, Greg Dolezal, ” Dolezal, Willis, Nathan Wade, Mike Roman, Wade, ” Willis, Joe Biden, Trump Organizations: CNN, GOP, Trump, Big Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, A.M.E

“This has to do with following state funds,” said Republican Sen Matt Brass of Newnan. But the committee can't directly sanction Willis, and Democrats denounced it as a partisan attempt to try to play to Trump and his supporters. People can already be prosecuted for making false statements to Georgia lawmakers. Those are among the criminal charges that Rudy Giuliani and some others face for the false claims they made to Georgia lawmakers in late 2020. Most of the top supporters are Republican lawmakers who also publicly backed Trump's efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results, including Republican Lt. Gov.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, ”, Republican Sen Matt Brass, Brian Kemp, Willis, “, Democratic Sen, David Lucas, Trump, Michael Roman, Nathan Wade, Ashleigh Merchant, Roman, Wade, Martin Luther King Jr, Wade —, —, Republican State Sen, Brandon Beach, Rudy Giuliani, Joe Biden, Georgia's, Burt Jones, Jones, “ I’ve, ” Jones, I’ve, ” Kemp, Josh McLaurin, ” McLaurin Organizations: ATLANTA, —, Democratic, Republican, Trump, Republican State, ”, Republicans, Democrats, Gov, New Locations: — Georgia's, Fulton County, misspent, Macon, Atlanta, Miami, San Francisco, Brandon, Alpharetta, Georgia, New Hampshire

☆ Trump joins effort to get Fulton County DA dismissed from 2020 election case over affair allegations
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Donald Trump’s attorneys are joining calls for the dismissal of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in the 2020 election subversion case against the former president and his co-defendants in Georgia, pointing to alleged misconduct between Willis and her lead prosecutor. The filing also points to public comments Willis recently made defending her choice to select the lead prosecutor, Nathan Wade, arguing that she violated Georgia rules for prosecutors. In comments Willis made at Atlanta’s Big Bethel A.M.E. Church earlier this month, the DA defended her team of prosecutors in the case, calling into question why only one of the three prosecutors was being attacked. The district attorney’s office declined to comment on the latest filing. Trump’s attorneys claim that Willis made a “calculated effort to foment racial bias” against the defendants with her comments, which run the risk of prejudicing the public and prospective jurors.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Fani Willis, Willis, Trump’s, Nathan Wade, Trump, ”, Steve Sadow, ” Willis, “, ” Trump, ” Sadow Organizations: CNN, Fulton County Superior Court, Big Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, A.M.E

☆ Ghislaine Maxwell's Appeal of Sex Trafficking Conviction to Be Heard in March
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Jonathan StempelNEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court will in March review Ghislaine Maxwell's conviction and 20-year prison sentence for helping the disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan on Wednesday scheduled oral arguments in Maxwell's appeal for March 12 before a three-judge panel. Prosecutors countered that Maxwell's appeal had no merit. Nathan was elevated to the 2nd Circuit from the U.S. District Court in Manhattan after being assigned Maxwell's criminal case. The appeals court may take at least a few months to rule.

Persons: Jonathan Stempel, Ghislaine, Jeffrey Epstein, Maxwell, Epstein, Robert Maxwell, scapegoated, Alison Nathan's, Virginia Giuffre, Britain's Prince Andrew, Jes Staley, Nathan, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S, Circuit, Prosecutors, Barclays Locations: Manhattan, Tallahassee , Florida, British, Florida, New York

☆ Opinion | Why Fani Willis Should Step Aside in the Trump Case in Georgia
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Clark D. Cunningham | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The case against Donald Trump in Georgia for allegedly participating in a criminal conspiracy to interfere with the 2020 election is more important than any individual actor managing the prosecution, and that includes the Fulton County district attorney, Fani Willis, and the case’s lead prosecutor, Nathan Wade. In recent weeks, Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade have found themselves in a spotlight that should belong to the serious charges against Mr. Trump. The two are the focus of a legal motion, and ensuing news reporting about a possible romantic relationship between them has explored whether it amounts to a conflict of interest with regard to the case. I’m a law professor in Georgia who teaches ethics and who has studied the legal consequences that might come if Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade are found to have a conflict, and I believe the judicious and farsighted course would be for Ms. Willis to take a personal leave of absence and turn over control of the district attorney’s office, and the case against Mr. Trump, to a career deputy district attorney. Doing so would be an act of public service by Ms. Willis — and more important, offers the best option for keeping the criminal case on track and holding Mr. Trump and his co-defendants accountable for their actions in the 2020 election if that is the just outcome.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Willis, Mr, Wade, Trump, I’m, Willis — Organizations: Mr Locations: Georgia, Fulton County

☆ How Haley Lost New Hampshire: Ignoring Lessons from Underdogs of the Past
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But the Arizona Republican, facing a goliath named George W. Bush with the entire Republican establishment behind him, stuck with it. He took questions in church basements, diners and community centers until the assembled voters ran out of questions to ask. He talked to reporters on his Straight Talk Express bus and made no secret of reaching out to independents. In February 2000, Mr. McCain shocked the Texas governor with a convincing New Hampshire victory, 49 percent to 30 percent. Accessibility, honesty, vulnerability and a near-constant presence — Nikki Haley did none of that in New Hampshire against her own goliath, Donald J. Trump, a far different candidate from Mr. Bush but one who also has the aura of inevitability.

Persons: John McCain’s, George W . Bush, McCain, Nikki Haley, Donald J, Trump, Bush Organizations: American Legion Hall, Arizona Republican, Republican, New Hampshire Locations: Manchester, Arizona, Texas, New, New Hampshire

ATLANTA (AP) — Accusations that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had an inappropriate relationship with a special prosecutor she hired to seek convictions of Donald Trump and others for interfering in Georgia's 2020 election have led to renewed calls to remove Willis from the case. Merchant alleges that Willis' office paid Wade large sums and that Willis improperly benefited when Wade then paid for the two of them to go on vacations. Willis, an elected Democrat, has shown no signs of stepping down, but there are ways she could be removed. COULD WILLIS STEP AWAY FROM THE CASE IN ORDER TO SAVE IT? Many Republicans would like to see Willis investigated by Georgia's new Prosecuting Attorneys Qualification Commission.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Willis, Nathan Wade, Ashleigh Merchant, Michael Roman, Merchant, Wade, Wade's, Scott McAfee, McAfee, Robert McBurney, Sen, Burt Jones, Trump, “, McBurney, Jones, Danny Porter, WILLIS, it's, Porter, Norm Eisen, Barack Obama's, ”, Eisen, Mr, hasn’t, State Sen, Colton Moore, Bob Ellis, Fulton, Greg Dolezal, Cumming, ” Dolezal's Organizations: ATLANTA, Trump, White, Fulton, Georgia Republicans, Democratic, of, Atlanta —, Council, Commission, Republicans, Republican, GOP Locations: Fulton County, Miami, San Francisco, Fulton, of Georgia, Gwinnett County, Atlanta, Georgia, State, Trenton

☆ Judge temporarily blocks deposition of Trump Georgia DA Fani Willis in divorce case
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Georgia judge on Monday blocked — for now — a deposition of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis by lawyers in the divorce of special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom Willis appointed to oversee the criminal election case of former President Donald Trump. Cobb County Superior Court Judge Henry Thompson said he needed to hear what Nathan Wade said in his deposition before determining if Willis should be deposed in the divorce by Jocelyn Wade's lawyers. Willis is seeking to block the deposition amid questions of whether she engaged in a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade at the same time he and his law firm were being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by Fulton County to act as special counsel in Trump's criminal case. Trump is charged with racketeering and other charges related to his efforts to undo his loss in Georgia's 2020 election to President Joe Biden. Thompson also Monday said he would unseal the Wades' divorce case, after noting that procedures for sealing the case from public view were not followed.

Persons: Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Willis, Donald Trump, Henry Thompson, Jocelyn Wade's, Wade, he's, Thompson, Trump, Joe Biden Organizations: Fulton Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Cobb

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — A judge on Monday ordered court records to be made public in the divorce involving a special prosecutor hired in the election case against Donald Trump and others and accused of having an affair with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The judge said records must be unsealed in the divorce case involving Nathan Wade, whom a defense attorney has alleged is in inappropriate relationship with Willis. The judge put off a final decision on whether Willis will have to sit for questioning in the divorce case, but delayed her deposition that had been scheduled for Tuesday. Willis has defended her hiring of Wade, who has little prosecutorial experience, and has not directly denied a romantic relationship. Willis has accused Wade's estranged wife of trying to obstruct her criminal election interference case against Trump and others by seeking to question her in the couple’s divorce proceedings.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Willis, Wade, Ashleigh Merchant, Michael Roman, Wade's, Joycelyn Wade, Willis “, Nathan Wade —, Joycelyn, “, ” Trump Organizations: Trump, White Locations: MARIETTA, Ga, Fulton County, San Francisco, Napa Valley , Florida, Belize, Panama, Australia, Miami, Georgia

☆ Haley’s Policy Pitch Recalls a Bygone Era Before Trump’s Rise
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Nikki Haley is pitching voters on policies that recall an era when the Republican Party stood for a fiscal conscience and foreign policy leadership, at a time when the most sacred of federal programs and the international alliances that built the post-World War II era are under enormous strain. But the voice of contemporary Republican politics, Donald J. Trump, has been there to attack those appeals virtually ever day. On Tuesday, the voters of New Hampshire may decide whether the party can find a path back from Mr. Trump’s big government domestic policy and his isolationism abroad. Ms. Haley’s proposals to raise the retirement age for young workers and trim benefits for the wealthy while protecting Social Security and Medicare benefits for those at or near retirement may sound familiar to voters with any historical memory. Mr. Romney’s 2012 proposals were taken from the bipartisan commission assembled to address the budget deficit during Barack Obama’s presidency.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Donald J, Trump, Mitt Romney, Paul D, Ryan, George W, Bush’s, Romney’s, Barack Obama’s Organizations: Republican Party, Social Security, Social Locations: New Hampshire

☆ Georgia prosecutor on Trump case paid for trips with District Attorney Willis on his credit card, court filing shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jason Morris | Zachary Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The special prosecutor hired by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to pursue the criminal case against former President Donald Trump bought tickets for Willis to accompany him on at least two out-of-state trips, records released Friday show. The motion comes as a Fulton County commissioner has launched an inquiry into allegations that Willis misused county funds and “accepted valuable gifts and personal benefits” from Nathan Wade, according to a letter obtained by CNN. Willis has received a subpoena to appear at a deposition as part of the divorce proceedings on Tuesday. And on January 31, there is a hearing at Cobb County Superior Court regarding whether to unseal the records in the divorce case. The Fulton County judge overseeing the Georgia election subversion case has also set a February 15 hearing to consider another motion seeking to disqualify Willis over allegations of an “improper” relationship with Nathan Wade.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Willis, Joycelyn Wade, Nathan Wade, “, Willis jeopardizing, ” Willis, Trump, ”, Joycelyn’s, Bob Ellis, Wade, ” Ellis, Ellis, Mike Roman Organizations: CNN, Fulton, Court, Republican, Trump Locations: Fulton County, Cobb County, Miami, San Francisco, Georgia, Cobb, Fulton

☆ Fani Willis Affair Claims Are Nothing More Than Bad Optics: Experts
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Associated Press | Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Allegations have surfaced of an affair between Fulton County DA Fani Willis and an attorney she hired. AdvertisementFulton County District Attorney Fani Willis hired attorney Nathan Wade to lead the Georgia prosecution of Donald Trump and 18 others over efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The lawyer is seeking to get the indictment tossed and to remove Willis and Wade from the case. Outside of any effect on this case, Willis, an elected Democrat, is up for reelection this year, and this could become a campaign issue depending on how she ultimately responds. Records show Wade billed for what he described as "travel to Athens; conf with White House Counsel" in May 2022.

Persons: Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Willis, Donald Trump, —, Wade, Wade —, Trump, vies, it's, Rahmani, Anthony Michael Kreis, Ashleigh Merchant, Michael Roman, Merchant, unseal, Joycelyn Wade, Joycelyn, Jeff DiSantis, John Floyd, Anna Cross, Wade's, Thurbert Baker, Baker, It's, Neil Warren, foreperson, Georgia —, There's, Peter Strzok, Robert James, that's, I've, James Organizations: Service, Trump, West, Trial, Georgia State University, Associated Press, White, Caribbean, AP, Defense, White House, Records, DC Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Napa Valley , Florida, Caribbean, Wade's, San Francisco, Belize, Panama, Australia, Miami, Cobb County, Athens, Russia, DeKalb County , Georgia

☆ Russia's Kinzhals are frustrating Chinese analysts who want to find out how Beijing's hypersonic missiles might stack up against US battlefield defenses
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

China hopes its own hypersonic missile, the Dongfeng, will be game-changing in its capacity to take down US aircraft carriers. A Ukrainian sapper recovers the warhead of a Kinzhal missile. AdvertisementThe Kinzhal's maneuverability, they wrote, "cannot be compared with that of a real hypersonic missile." "Although Russia calls the 'Dagger' a hypersonic missile, analysts from other countries generally believe that the so-called hypersonic 'Dagger' missile is actually an air-launched version of the 'Iskander' short-range tactical ballistic missile," it said. "The 'Dagger' missile has more than enough ambition but not enough power," the July analysis said.

Persons: —, Ukrainian sapper, Yin Jie, Yin, it's, VASILY MAXIMOV, Lyle Goldstein, Rand, Nathan Waechter, Goldstein, GREG BAKER, What's, it's gleaning, I've Organizations: Service, US, Kremlin, Emergency Service, Ordnance Industry Science, Technology, People's Liberation Army, International Military, Forum, Patriot, Getty, Institute for, Defense, Diplomat, Military Locations: China, Ukraine, Beijing, Moscow, Ukrainian, Shaanxi, Russia, Russian, Patriot, Syria, AFP, Washington, Asia

☆ Atlanta DA Defends Hiring of Special Prosecutor in Trump Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Nicole Friedman | Mariah Timms | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

District Attorney Fani Willis said the lead lawyer she had hired had worked as a judge, private-practice attorney, prosecutor and criminal-defense lawyer. Photo: Brynn Anderson/Associated PressFulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis defended her decision to hire Nathan Wade as a special prosecutor, saying in a speech Sunday morning that the lead lawyer in her office’s racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and others is well qualified to serve in the role. One of the defendants in the case alleged in a court filing last week that Wade and Willis had been in a continuing romantic relationship since before Willis hired Wade, and that both had benefited financially from the arrangement. The filing also alleged that Wade didn’t have the proper experience for the job.

Persons: Fani Willis, Brynn Anderson, Nathan Wade, Donald Trump, Wade, Willis, Wade didn’t Organizations: Associated Press Locations: Associated Press Fulton County ,

☆ DA Fani Willis defends prosecutor she hired for Trump's Georgia election case amid allegations of an 'improper' relationship
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Lloyd Lee | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Fulton County DA Fani Willis was accused of having an "improper" relationship with a prosecutor. Willis appointed the prosecutor, Nathan Wade, to oversee the RICO case against Trump. The motion seeks to dismiss the indictment and disqualify Willis and Wade and their offices from further prosecuting the case. Willis said she hired three special prosecutors for the election case: a white man, a white woman, and a Black man. If Willis financially benefited from her relationship with Wade, that may be an ethics violation," he said.

Persons: Fani Willis, Willis, Nathan Wade, —, Sunday, Donald Trump, Martin Luther King Jr, Ashleigh Merchant, Michael Roman, Merchant, Wade, Fulton, Scott McAfee, Steve Sadow, King, she's, I'm, Pete Skandalakis, McAfee, Stephen Gillers, Trump Organizations: Fulton, Trump, Service, Big Bethel AME Church, White, New York Univerity Law School, Atlanta Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Big Bethel, Atlanta, New York

ATLANTA (AP) — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Sunday defended the qualifications of a special prosecutor she hired for her case against Donald Trump and others over efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia after a defense lawyer accused Willis of professional impropriety. At the church, Willis did not address the allegations of an improper relationship. They are paid the same hourly rate and no one has questioned the qualifications of the two white lawyers, she said. Merchant's filing offered no proof of the alleged relationship or trips that she said that Willis and Wade had taken together. Pete Skandalakis, a former district attorney who is executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council, said district attorneys do not have to seek permission before hiring a special prosecutor.

Persons: Fani Willis, Sunday, Donald Trump, Willis, Martin Luther King Jr, ”, Ashleigh Merchant, Michael Roman, Nathan Wade, Wade, Scott McAfee, Steve Sadow, King, King “, “, she's, ” Willis, “ I'm, ” Merchant, Merchant, Pete Skandalakis, McAfee Organizations: ATLANTA, Big Bethel AME Church, Trump, White, ’ Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Big Bethel, Atlanta

☆ Atlanta D.A. Defends Qualifications of Outside Lawyer She Hired for Trump Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Rick Rojas | Sean Keenan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Fani T. Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Ga., pushed back on Sunday against the criticism and questions about her judgment that have followed a court filing accusing her of being romantically involved with the outside lawyer she hired to lead the racketeering case against former President Donald J. Trump. Ms. Willis emerged from almost a week of silence to address the congregation at Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the oldest Black churches in Atlanta, which had invited her to be the keynote speaker for a service dedicated to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She did not address the allegation that she was in a relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she hired in 2021, who has earned more than $650,000 in the job to date. Instead, she said that Mr. Wade had “impeccable credentials” for the role and suggested that the accusations were just the latest thing to make her job hard to bear. Ms. Willis, 52, said she was “as flawed as they come,” but that she was also subjected to an added level of scrutiny and even to personal danger as a Black woman in such a high-profile role, taking on arguably the most powerful figure in the Republican Party.

Persons: Willis, Donald J, Trump, Martin Luther King Jr, Nathan Wade, Wade Organizations: Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Republican Party Locations: Fulton County ,, Big, Atlanta

☆ How to Survive Long-Haul Flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-22 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“Purchase a ‘Do Not Disturb’ eye mask if you plan on sleeping through meal service,” she said. You can look ahead on the airline’s website to see what in-flight entertainment will be available on your flight. Move when you canMany people prefer an aisle seat so they are able to get up frequently without disturbing their seat neighbor. Ahead of booking, research the layout and model of planes on websites like SeatGuru to find the most legroom. “But it makes a huge difference to how quickly you adjust to the new time zone.”

Persons: ”, Patrick Quade, Nathan Weinrich Locations: New South Wales, Australia, United States, New Jersey

☆ Trump should not face trial in Georgia if he wins 2024 election, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Andrew Goudsward | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

John David Mercer/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - A lawyer for Donald Trump said on Friday that the former U.S. president should not face trial on charges that he sought to overturn the 2020 election results in the state of Georgia if he wins the election next year. Trump is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the 2024 election. Sadow said that if Trump wins the election, he would seek to postpone the trial until after he left office, arguing that it would interfere with his responsibilities as president. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis last week requested the Georgia trial begin in August 2024, a timeline that would likely extend the proceedings through Election Day and into early 2025. “What would be the state's response that having this trial on Election Day is election interference?” Judge Scott McAfee asked prosecutors.

Persons: Steve Sadow, Donald Trump, Scott McAfee, Donald John Trump, John David Mercer, Steven Sadow, Trump, Joe Biden, Sadow, Sadow’s, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, “, ” Trump, ” Sadow, McAfee, Andrew Goudsward, Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Republican, Democratic, Trump, Thomson Locations: Superior Court, Fulton County, Georgia, Atlanta , Georgia, U.S

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Five former correctional officers in West Virginia were indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday in connection with the 2022 death of an incarcerated man who was beaten while handcuffed and restrained in an interview room and later a jail cell. The indictments in West Virginia's southern U.S. District Court come weeks after two different West Virginia corrections officers pleaded guilty to a felony conspiracy charge stemming from the fatal beating of the same inmate, 37-year-old Quantez Burks. The case has drawn scrutiny to conditions and deaths at the Southern Regional Jail. Earlier this month, West Virginia agreed to pay $4 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by inmates who described conditions at the jail as inhumane. Two other former corrections officers were indicted Thursday on a charge of failing to intervene in the unlawful assault, resulting in Burks' death.

Persons: Quantez Burks, Burks, Jim Justice's, Brad Douglas, Phil Sword, Mark Holdren, Cory Snyder, Johnathan Walters —, Andrew Fleshman, Steven Wimmer, Walters, Holdren, Snyder Organizations: U.S . Justice Department, Southern Regional, of Corrections, Rehabilitation, Homeland Security, Southern Regional Jail, Associated Press, FBI Locations: CHARLESTON, W.Va, West Virginia, West Virginia's, U.S, Beaver

REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt Acquire Licensing RightsLONGMONT, Colorado, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Two Colorado paramedics go on trial on Wednesday for their alleged role in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a young Black man who died after police roughly detained him and medics injected him with a powerful sedative. The trial is the last of three in the death of McClain, 23. Prosecutors allege the paramedics injected him with 500 mg of the sedative ketamine after incorrectly estimating his weight to be 200 pounds (91 kg). After Floyd's death ignited global protests, Colorado Governor Jared Polis in June 2020 asked the state attorney general's office to investigate McClain's case. Reporting by Brad Brooks in Longmont, Colorado Editing by Donna Bryson and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nathan Woodyard, Elijah McClain, Black, Kevin Mohatt, McClain, Jeremy Cooper, Peter Cichuniec, Cooper, Cichuniec, George Floyd, Jared Polis, Brad Brooks, Donna Bryson, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Court, REUTERS, Prosecutors, Police, Minneapolis police, Thomson Locations: Adams County, Brighton , Colorado, U.S, , Colorado, Colorado, Denver, Aurora, Minneapolis, Longmont

Prosecutors contended Officer Nathan Woodyard's actions including the neck hold contributed to McClain's death. Here’s what you need to know about the criminal trials:WHY WERE THE OFFICERS AND PARAMEDICS CHARGED? Local prosecutors initially decided not to bring charges in McClain’s death largely because an initial autopsy didn’t determine exactly how he died. Defense attorneys for the officers repeatedly said it was the ketamine injection — not their clients — that caused McClain’s death. In Woodyard’s case, the defense brought in a paid expert witness who has also worked for the prosecution in the paramedic’s case.

Persons: —, Elijah McClain, George Floyd, Nathan Woodyard's, wasn't, Woodyard wasn't, McClain, Sheneen McClain, Jeremy Cooper, Peter Cichuniec, Jared Polis, Dr, Stephen Cina, McCLAIN, Woodyard, Randy Roedema, Joyce, McClain didn’t, Megan Downing, Roedema, Rosenblatt, Cooper, Cichuniec, Nadia Iovettz, Andrew Ho, “, ”, Ed Obayashi, ___ Brown Organizations: BRIGHTON, Prosecutors, Local, Democratic Locations: Colo, Denver, Aurora, Billings , Montana

☆ Jury finds Colorado officer not guilty in Elijah McClain's killing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Brad Brooks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreLONGMONT, Colorado, Nov 6 (Reuters) - A Colorado jury found police officer Nathan Woodyard not guilty of manslaughter in the 2019 killing of Elijah McClain, a young Black man who died after police placed him in a chokehold during an arrest and medics injected him with a sedative. Two paramedics face separate trials this month for their role in giving McClain ketamine, a powerful sedative at times used on highly agitated patients. The death of McClain, 23, inspired sweeping police reforms in Colorado in 2020, including the banning of chokeholds like the one he was put in. "Nathan Woodyard did not kill Elijah McClain, he's not responsible for what other people did," defense attorney Andrew Ho said in his closing argument. "Ketamine is what killed Elijah McClain."

Persons: Elijah McClain, Jared Polis, Nathan Woodyard, Randy Roedema, Jason Rosenblatt, McClain, George Floyd, Woodyard, Jason Slothouber, Slothouber, he's, Andrew Ho, Brad Brooks, Paul Thomasch, Rod Nickel Organizations: Aurora Police Department, Minneapolis police, Colorado Gov, Adams, Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: Denver , Colorado, U.S, Colorado, McClain, Minneapolis, Denver, Aurora, chokeholds, Broomfield Counties, Longmont , Colorado

Woodyard had pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in connection with McClain’s death. The officer remains suspended from the department without pay, pending the outcome of the trial. Prosecutors initially declined to bring charges against the officers and paramedics involved in McClain’s death, but the case received renewed scrutiny following the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests in the spring of 2020. Jared Polis appointed a special prosecutor to reexamine the case, and in 2021 a grand jury indicted Woodyard, two other officers and two paramedics in McClain’s death. Two paramedics who treated McClain, Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec, are set to go on trial in the coming weeks.

Persons: Nathan Woodyard, Elijah McClain, Woodyard, McClain, Philip Weiser, Weiser, Sheneen McClain, “, ” “, she’s, ”, I’ve, ” Sheneen McClain, MiDian Holmes, Prosecutors, Jared Polis, Woodyard’s, Roger Mitchell Jr, David Beuther, Randy Roedema, Jason Rosenblatt, Roedema, Rosenblatt, Jeremy Cooper, Peter Cichuniec Organizations: CNN, Aurora, Colorado, Colorado Gov, Prosecutors Locations: Colorado, Aurora

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