Attorney General Chris Carr has won an appeal allowing his office to proceed with its civil case against the New Georgia Project for suspected violations of state campaign finance laws. The New Georgia Project had previously sued to block the State’s proceedings. Carr filed an appeal in March 2023, and the Eleventh Circuit issued an opinion in favor of the Attorney General’s Office on July 8, 2024.
“This decision is a victory for transparency in campaign finance,” said Carr. “Rather than simply comply with Georgia law, New Georgia Project chose years of costly litigation and lost. These rules apply to everyone, and we will ensure they are upheld.”
In 2019, the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission began investigating a complaint against the New Georgia Project. The complaint alleged that the organization had engaged in undisclosed election spending in 2018 and 2019.
Following a years-long subpoena battle, the Commission ultimately obtained bank records and held a formal hearing on August 1, 2022.
Thereafter, the Commission issued an order finding reasonable grounds to conclude that New Georgia Project violated state campaign finance disclosure laws. Specifically, it found reasonable grounds to believe that the organization failed to register with the Commission and failed to disclose millions in electoral expenditures and contributions.
Following its standard practice, the Commission requested that the Attorney General continue with civil enforcement action in the Office of State Administrative Hearings. Weeks later, New Georgia Project filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to enjoin the State's ongoing proceeding. A District Court Judge granted this motion.
Carr then filed an appeal with the Eleventh Circuit, which vacated the District Court’s decision and permitted the Attorney General’s Office to proceed with civil enforcement action as planned.
Find a copy of the opinion here.
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