Criminal Justice Reform
As a former member of the House Judiciary Noncivil Committee since 2005, Ed has played an active role in the debate and passage of virtually every piece of criminal justice reform legislation passed in Georgia for more than a decade. His contributions include leading bipartisan coalitions to maintain the careful legal balance between the powers of the state and the rights of the accused in more than 200 laws throughout Georgia’s criminal and juvenile code.
As the former Chairman of the General Law Subcommittee of House Judiciary Noncivil, Ed has worked tirelessly to protect the fundamental rights of Georgians while providing law enforcement officials with the legitimate tools they need to protect Georgia’s communities. His contributions include state laws affecting sex trafficking, sexual exploitation of children, death penalty, illegal immigration, internet crime, firearm laws, abortion, metal theft, criminal record restriction, animal fighting, controlled substances, anti-terrorism, search and seizure, pardons and paroles, restitution for crime victims, impact of emerging technologies on personal privacy, and diverting nonviolent drug offenders into specialized treatment programs instead of prison.