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Joining Megan on The Georgia Politics Podcast is attorney and former public defender, Chris Sandbach, to discuss the role of public defenders in our criminal justice system and what the appointment of Kentanji Brown Jackson means for the makeup of the Supreme Court.
Public defenders are attorneys who represent people who have been charged with a crime and who cannot afford to pay for private counsel. They face the possibility of time behind bars if convicted. The 6th Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees that if someone cannot afford private counsel, a judge will appoint a public defender to defend them in a court of law, for free.
Chris, who spent over 6 years of his professional life as a public defender, talks with Megan about the ways in which our criminal justice system works, where it has room for improvement, and the role public defenders play in both.
He also talks about the recently sworn in Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson and what her experience as a public defender brings to the court, for the first time in its existence.
About Chris Sandbach
Chris Sandbach has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with an emphasis on Foreign Policy and Received his J.D. from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School in 2015. After law school, Chris Spent over 6 years working as a public defender in the Atlanta area.  In 2022, he took a job with the law firm of Rickard, Drew & Nix and specializes in personal injury litigation and criminal defense. He is a member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the Georgia Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers. Additionally, Chris has worked as a volunteer voting rights/voter protection attorney since 2018, served as the Political Activism Director for the Young Democrats of Atlanta in 2020 and is currently serving on the board of directors for Red Clay Democrats and the Young Professionals Board for Soccer In The Streets. Chris lives in Atlanta with his cat Larsson and enjoys playing/watching soccer and going to see live music.
Connect with Chris on Twitter @sandbach1023
Connect with The Georgia Politics Podcast on Twitter @gapoliticspod
Megan Gordon-Kane @meganlaneg
Proud member of the Appen Podcast Network.
#gapol

On Friday, the Supreme Court released its opinion in the Dobbs case and has now officially overturned Roe v. Wade. Women no longer have a constitutional right to an abortion which is now, according to Dobbs, decided by state governments. So, what’s the current state of abortion law in Georgia?
Believe it or no, we also had primary runoffs last week in Georgia, and the panel discuss the winners and losers. Get ready for November, folks!
Lastly, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his Chief Operating Officer, Gabriel Sterling, testified in front of the January 6th committee. 
Overhyped/Underhyped, Play-Along-At-Home and much more on this week’s episode of The Georgia Politics Podcast.
Connect with The Georgia Politics Podcast on Twitter @gapoliticspod
Megan Gordon-Kane @meganlaneg
Preston Thompson @pston3
Proud member of the Appen Podcast Network.
#gapol

Kicking off the show today is a discussion on a few runoffs we have here in Georgia before the race to November begins. There are four notable nominations left to be determined for the Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate, 6th District Republican nominee, 10th Congressional District Republican nominee, and the Democratic candidate for the Secretary of State race. What dynamics are in play for what will almost certainly be a low turnout runoff, and importantly, who will win?
Next up, the now 7th District Democratic nominee, Lucy McBath, saw her federal red flag bill pass in the House last week as part of a surge in Democratic bills after the shooting in Uvalde. What's the current state of play for gun reform bills in Georgia politics? 
Overhyped/Underhyped, Play-Along-At-Home and much more on this week’s episode of The Georgia Politics Podcast.
Connect with The Georgia Politics Podcast on Twitter @gapoliticspod
Megan Gordon-Kane @meganlaneg
Preston Thompson @pston3
Proud member of the Appen Podcast Network.
#gapol

Welcome to Part II of The History of Politics Podcast! Joining the show again today is Professor Adam Stone, an associate professor of political science at the Alpharetta Campus of Georgia State University’s Perimeter College. He and Craig sit down this time to discuss another 50th anniversary – this time for the assassination attempt of Alabama Governor and Presidential candidate George Wallace.
Professor Stone and Craig discuss the political events of the era that led up to the attempt and the political consequences afterward. Wallace was and continues to be a controversial figure in American politics, but his story and the events of that fateful day are important and interesting none the less.
About Professor Adam Stone
Adam Stone is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Associate Department Chair for Social Sciences at the Alpharetta Campus of Georgia State University’s Perimeter College. Adam was born in San Francisco, California, and he grew up in Los Gatos, California. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and earned a Master of Arts degree in Politics from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Professor Stone has followed politics since his childhood. His “first” election commentary and analysis were delivered in 1966, 56 years ago, at the age of four. He is in his thirty-first year of teaching at Perimeter College.  His areas of research and writing include the U.S. Courts of Appeals, the Electoral College, Presidential Greatness, Southern Politics, and Georgia Politics. His most recent research examines U.S. Senate confirmation votes for nominees to the federal Courts of Appeals. Adam was a contestant on the Jeopardy! episode that aired on May 20, 2019.  He came in third and the game was won by “Jeopardy!” James Holtzhauer, the second greatest player in the history of the game.
Connect with The Georgia Politics Podcast on Twitter @gapoliticspod
Proud member of the Appen Podcast Network.
#gapol

The Georgia Politics Podcast crew gets together for a very special post-election episode to go over the results, surprises, and interesting storylines.
STATE RACES
Governor
Republican – Brain Kemp (I)
Democrat – Stacey Abrams
Lieutenant Governor
Republican – Burt Jones
Democrat – Runoff – Kwanza Hall, Charlie Bailey
Secretary of State
Republican – Brad Raffensperger (I)
Democrat – Runoff – Bee Nguyen, Dee Dawkins Haigler
Attorney General
Republican – Chris Carr (I)
Democrat – Jen Jordan
Insurance Commissioner
Republican – John King (I)
Democrat – Runoff – Janice Laws Robinson & Raphael Baker
State School Superintendent
Republican – Richard Woods (I)
Democrat – Alisha Thomas Searcy
Labor Commissioner
Republican – Bruce Thompson
Democrat – Runoff – William Boddie, Nicole Horn
Agriculture Commissioner
Republican – Tyler Harper
Democrat – Nakita Hemingway
FEDERAL RACES
US Senate
Republican – Herschel Walker
Democrat – Raphael Warnock (I)
Congressional District 6
Republican – Runoff – Rich McCormick, Jake Evans
Democrat – Bob Christian
Congressional District 7
Republican – Runoff –Michael Corbin, Mark Gonsalves
Democrat – Lucy McBath (I)
Connect with The Georgia Politics Podcast on Twitter @gapoliticspod
Megan Gordon-Kane @meganlaneg
Preston Thompson @pston3
Proud member of the Appen Podcast Network.
#gapol

It’s Primary Election Eve on The Georgia Politics Podcast! Before those who did not vote early head to the polls, the regular crew give one last update on the state of play.
It’s looking like Governor Kemp will again be the nominee from the Republican Party to compete with Stacey Abrams in November. If the Kemp/Perdue race goes as expected, will the Perdue camp be able to take any positives away from the defeat?
Also, another expected victor on Tuesday night is Herschel Walker, who finds himself in more hot water after an AP News story came out about his association with a veterans organization he supposedly co-founded, and the organizations role in “preying upon veterans and service members while defrauding the government.”
The article states that, “even before entering the race, Walker drew attention for his past mental health struggles, as well as allegations that he threatened his ex-wife’s life. He’s dramatically inflated his record as a businessman, as the AP previously reported. And his claim that he graduated at the top of his class from the University of Georgia, where he led the Bulldogs to a 1980 championship, was also untrue. He didn’t graduate, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported.”
What are voters to make out of all this drama, and will it matter on Tuesday, November, or not at all?
Overhyped/Underhyped, Play-Along-At-Home and much more on this week’s episode of The Georgia Politics Podcast.
Connect with The Georgia Politics Podcast on Twitter @gapoliticspod
Megan Gordon-Kane @meganlaneg
Preston Thompson @pston3
Proud member of the Appen Podcast Network.
#gapol