Fulton County DA Fani Willis threatens lawsuit over Georgia law stripping party labels from Atlanta-area elections

Source: CBS News/AP

May 13, 2026 / 6:39 PM EDT


Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law requiring nonpartisan elections for most local officials in the five most populous counties in the Atlanta area, leading Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and another Democratic prosecutor to threaten to sue over the bill's constitutionality. Kemp signed the bill privately Tuesday, the final day after Georgia's 2026 legislative session for the governor to sign or veto bills.

Republicans have repeatedly targeted Willis because of her prosecution of Republican President Donald Trump after he pushed to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's win in Georgia in 2020.

Willis and DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said the bill violates the Georgia Constitution and promised a lawsuit. "This is a blatant attempt by Republicans to give their candidates an edge in Democratic counties by hiding their party affiliation from voters," the two Democrats said in a statement Tuesday.

State Sen. John Albers, a Republican from the Atlanta suburb of Roswell who pushed the bill, said during the legislative session that he believed it will promote public safety. The counties' elected sheriffs will continue to be elected under party labels when it goes into effect in 2028.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/fani-willis-vows-to-sue-over-new-georgia-law-that-removes-party-labels-in-atlanta-area-elections/