by Maya T Prabhu at Atlanta Journal Constitution
A panel created by Georgia lawmakers last year to field complaints about “rogue” prosecutors can soon begin its work.
Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday signed Senate Bill 332, which aims to fix a law Republican lawmakers passed to create the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission and tasked it with investigating complaints and potentially disciplining state prosecutors.
“As we know all too well, crime has been on the rise across the country, and it’s especially prevalent in cities where prosecutors are giving criminals a free pass or failing to put them behind bars due to lack of professional conduct,” the governor, flanked by Republican leadership, said during a private bill-signing ceremony in his office.
“When out-of-touch prosecutors put politics over public safety the community suffers and people and property are put it at risk,” Kemp said.
Last year, lawmakers created the commission and empowered it to sanction prosecutors once the state Supreme Court approved rules to guide the panel.
The law was challenged in court,…