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While modern gestational surrogacy technology has existed for almost forty years, surrogacy is viewed as a matter of state law because the United States has yet to regulate it at the federal level. Many have advocated for either federal legislation or their own individual states to enact legislation addressing surrogacy, but Georgia is one of many states that still lacks any laws regulating-- or even mentioning--surrogacy agreements. To make the process more uncertain for couples contemplating surrogacy, Georgia also lacks any case law that could provide parties to surrogacy agreements with guidance on how to proceed or how any dispute may be resolved. To provide Georgia citizens with legal stability and certainty, the Georgia legislature should pass legislation addressing traditional surrogacy agreements and acknowledging the technology and use of surrogacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees criminal defendants the right to counsel at critical stages of a proceeding. While the U.S. Supreme Court has not addressed whether initial bail hearings are critical stages of a proceeding, several states have elected to provide greater protection for criminal defendants by holding that bail hearings are critical stages. However, Georgia has avoided this question, as Georgia has held that initial appearance hearings, in which questions of bail are often decided, are "not often" critical stages of a proceeding. Logically, it follows that initial appearance hearings must sometimes be critical stages of a proceeding. This Note argues that initial appearance hearings, insofar as they encompass questions of bail, should be considered critical stages. In so doing, this Note examines Georgia's history of providing greater protection to criminal defendants than the federal government and the implications of bail reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2017, Georgia's controversial campus carry bill was signed into law despite protest from the state's Board of Regents, university officials, and students. Georgia is one of ten states that has implemented campus carry. Georgia's campus carry statute is unique in that it may conflict with Georgia's Constitution, which vests the powers of "government, control, and management" of the University System of Georgia in the Board of Regents. Georgia courts have not yet addressed what this provision of the Constitution means. This Note applies general principles of constitutional interpretation to the provision. This Note analyzes the framers' intent when drafting the provision in the 1940s and amending the provision in the 1980s. The history surrounding this constitutional provision is particularly informative because it was adopted after Governor Eugene Talmadge attempted to take over the university system in the 1940s. Some states have developed a university autonomy jurisprudence, which provides a preview of limits that a Georgia court may impose on the Board of Regents' powers. After analyzing the effects of the campus carry statutory scheme, this Note concludes that one portion of the statutory scheme conflicts with Georgia's Constitution, meaning the Board of Regents can implement further exceptions to campus carry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discuss the judicial history of partisan gerrymandering and provides an overview of the Efficiency Gap's (EG's) mechanics and the development of Georgia's reapportionment scheme. Topics include the EG's strengths and weaknesses, factors to Georgia's current districting map, analyzes the map's constitutionality; and proposes changes to Georgia's plan, and ensures adherence to constitutional principles.

The article is dedicated to analyse the politics of so called "historical memory" during the state-building and nation-building process in post-socialist Georgia After the Rose Revolution 2003, the new government that aimed at building the "new Georgia," implementing radical changes in many key spheres, including institutions, readdressing the totalitarian past, faced number of problematic manifestations in political and cultural life in this post-Soviet country. The "politics of memory" became one of the key factors of reconstructing of "new, democratic, western Georgia". This process can be evaluated as leading toward state nationalism. Analyzing the politics of memory, symbolism is the most notable attitude and that is why former President Mikheil Saakashvili used commemorative ceremonies continuously. The authors argue in favour of approach, that the so called "memory politics" is the integral part of one's legitimacy building, but at the same time, it can be used as tool for reconsidering of Polity's future and mobilization of population under the "citizenship" umbrella towards the strong loyalty to the actual and future state-building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on Constitutional Agreement approved by Georgian government for Constitution of Georgia and Orthodox Eastern Church. Topics discussed include risks of the domination and religious issues, Civil Integration Committee and international law, and religion of Orthodox Christianity.

This paper is a part of research about evaluation natural disasters influence on citizens political attitudes reviewing Georgia 2012 parliamentary election case - election result in the eastern part of Georgia, taking into consideration 2012 summer flood, which preceded voting in four districts of Kakheti. Paper aim is to answer theoretically and empirically important question: How social welfare is related to the district-level election outcomes. Theoretical framework is a theory of retrospective voting. Research is based on a qualitative research methodology, basic methodological approach being the method of case study. In the frame of the research two alternative hypothesis are tested. Present paper will contribute to the academic debates around the issue of citizens retrospective voting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Georgia can be characterised by its turbulent history, centuries-old traditions, and a great ethnic diversity. This makes it necessary to include historical determinants, in addition to geopolitical and economic factors, when making a regional analysis of its territory and contemporary governance issues. Five stages of the development of the present territorial division of Georgia are distinguished. They have been identified by means of an analysis of key events (critical junctures) of significance in the formation of its historical regions. Additionally, their influence at each of the three levels of the current territorial division of independent Georgia is discussed, in particular in the context of territorial governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the efforts of the Georgia state geographer John Ruggles Cotting to conduct the state's first geological survey during the late 1830s. The role that Georgia's state government played in Cotting's geological survey, including in regard to providing of funding for the survey and the Georgia Governor William Schley's role in its creation, is discussed.

An essay is presented on efforts by archivists and other concerned citizens to advocate for the Georgia Archives in the face of state budget cuts. Particular focus is given to tools strategies used by these advocates which the author believes can be useful in similar situations. The author emphasizes that archives advocacy is a continuous process and that continued the Georgia Archives needs additional funding to increase staff.

An essay is presented on debates surrounding the budget for the Georgia state archives during the first decade of the 21st century. Particular focus is given to the author's experiences and observations as the Georgia State Archivist. Details on the construction of the archives building and on political attitudes towards the building are presented. The author stresses the importance of the state archives to Georgia's civic and economic health.

The article presents photographs of a 2012 rally in support of the Georgia Archives, following budget cuts which would result in the Archives' closure to the public if they remained unchanged.

An essay is presented on the efforts of the Georgia Genealogical Society (GGS) to advocate for the continued operation of the Georgia Archives following a 2012 announcement that it would be closed to the public due to budget cuts. Particular focus is given to the authors' roles in organizing and communicating with supporters and educating the public and members of the Georgia legislature about the value of the Georgia Archives.

The article discusses conflicts between civil and military authority in colonial Georgia from 1732 to 1749. It focuses on the role of British general and civilian leader James Edward Oglethorpe. The author also reflects on the Georgia Trustees, colonial Georgia's founding body. Other individuals examined include bailiff Thomas Causton, Trustees president William Stephens, and military leader Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Heron. The article particularly comments on the Georgia settlements of Frederica and Savannah and examines conflicts with Spanish Florida.

A biography is presented of Georgia legislator and Confederate officer Augustus Romaldus Wright. It discusses his professional career as a circuit court judge, belief in the doctrine of white supremacy, and his service in the Confederate Congress. Emphasis is given to Wright's shifting allegiances regarding the Union cause, secession, and peace during the U.S. Civil War.

The article discusses the political career of U.S. Senator James Gunn. The author reflects on his origins in Virginia and his military service during the American Revolution. Emphasis is given to his representation of Georgia in the Senate and his impact on military policy, bank centralization, and the purchase of territories in western Georgia. Gunn's commitment to Federalist politics and patronage in relation to the Yazoo sale is discussed. Other topics include relations with Georgia governor James Jackson, Gunn's militia service, and relations between state and federal government.

The article presents an examination into the political debate over the drinking of alcoholic beverages in colonial Georgia in the first half of the 18th-century. Details are given noting the place of distilleries and the alcohol trade in colonial life, the initial mandates of the Trustees for Establishing the Colony of Georgia in America prohibiting the sale or consumption of hard liquor in the 1720s and 1730s, and the drawn out civil resistance to the move. An in-depth account of the public debate and controversy which eventually overturned the law is then given.

The article relates the conflict between William Stephens and his son, Thomas Stephens, in colonial Georgia. William oversaw the colony's northern division of military forces during the War of Jenkins' Ear. The struggle between the Malcontents and the colonial administration divided the father and son. The feud between William and Thomas Stephens provides a window into early Georgia history and specifically into the Malcontent controversy.

Privatization research lacks an understanding of the scope and nature of informal service delivery relationships between nonprofits and local government. This article reports on a study of local service delivery partnerships in Georgia using survey and interview data. In addition to assessing the frequency of noncontractual partnerships, this study builds on B. Guy Peters’s definition of public–private partnerships to delineate the control–formality dimensions of these partnerships more clearly. The agency theory notion that a trade-off occurs between formality and control is also tested. The findings show that most public–private partnerships involving nonprofits are led by government agencies, and they are only weakly collaborative in the sense of shared authority or resources. Often, community norms substitute for formal service agreements. The study concludes with suggestions for further research regarding trust and behavioral norms in public–private partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the conflicts and cooperation that characterized relations between Savannah Jews and Christian settlers in Georgia during the eighteenth-century period. Historical background of the Jewish colony that have arrived in Georgia on July 11, 1733; Reaction of the Common Council of the Trustees in London, England on the prospect of Jewish colony in Georgia; Information on Samuel Nunes Ribeiro, a doctor who became the leader of the Jewish group in Georgia; Factors that have contributed to the conflict between the Jews and Christian populations in Georgia.

Analyzes the role of African Americans as legislators in Georgia. Proliferation of Georgia's African American legislative representation; Institutionalization of the African American caucus; Profile of Georgia's African American legislators.

Examines several myths concerning the impact of runoff elections in Georgia. Evidence for the inaccuracy of the myth concerning the loss of primary leaders; Effect of incumbency on the chance of candidates to win or lose in runoff elections; Details of a myth regarding discrimination against women and minority candidates.

Examines the relationship between districting format and the racial makeup of Georgia county commissions from 1981 to 1991. Implementation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act; Relationship between Black registration and Black commission members.

This article cites a natural tension between citizen participation in public agencies and the drive for organizational stability. The power stability hypothesis, based on exchange theory, suggests that weaker organizations are more likely to offer citizens stronger roles in their planning processes. The article analyzes a survey of 394 citizen units m 193 planning and development agencies in Georgia. A standardized measure of the citizen-agency contract is developed. A panel of experts provides data on the level of power of host agencies. The central finding of the study is the inverse association between the level of agency power and strong citizen roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on intergovernmental cooperation in Georgia. Using intergovernmental expenditure data, it focuses upon cities and counties in Georgia and the extent to which these general-purpose local governments cooperate with the state and other local governments in the delivery of local public services. The purpose here, then, is twofold: to describe intergovernmental cooperation in Georgia from the perspective of the state's municipalities and counties and to explain intergovernmental cooperation in the state. This explanation involves testing the relationship between intergovernmental cooperation and three independent variables identified in earlier works--population, metropolitan status, and form of government. Two additional independent variables are also introduced--the number of municipalities within a county and the percentage of a county's population residing in incorporated areas. The results of such impact-oriented research could provide information regarding the effectiveness of intergovernmental cooperative agreements.

An essay is presented on efforts to continue the operations of the Georgia Archives following a series of budget cuts, culminating in the transfer of the Archives from the office of the Georgia Secretary of State to the University System of Georgia (USG). Details on advocacy work by the organization Friends of the Georgia Archives and History (FOGAH) are presented.

The article offers information on the Georgia Archives which documents the activities of the government of Georgia. Georgia Archives has several employees and operates a records management program to help ensure that state and local government offices observe good recordkeeping practices. It notes that Georgia Archives is open to researchers during weekdays.