Chamique Holdsclaw, former WNBA star who played one year for the Atlanta Dream, pleaded guilty Friday to assaulting her ex-girlfriend and was sentenced to three months probation and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine.
Holdsclaw pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault, criminal damage in the first degree, two counts of criminal damage in the second degree and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, according to a story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Tonya Miller of Atlanta, 48, was convicted last week for killing her former girlfriend in 2005, according to a report in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Miller received a life sentence plus 10 years for murdering Cheryl Miranda of Tampa, Fla. She was convicted on charges of murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and concealing a death. The verdict was handed down Friday. She was first convicted of the murder in 2008 but the Georgia Supreme Court overturned the ruling which led to a second trial.
Jane Morrison was sworn in as Fulton County State Court Judge today, making her one of the first openly gay judges in Georgia and the Southeast.
Morrison's partner is Joan Garner, who was elected as the first openly gay Fulton County Commissioner in 2010.
Morrison was sworn in by Fulton County Probate Court Judge Pinkie Toomer. Witnessing the historic event, in addition to Garner, were Morrison's mother, father and two sisters, who live in Maine. Also attending the ceremony were several elected officials; Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Cynthia Wright, who is also an out lesbian; and many Atlanta LGBT activists.
An ethics complaint filed against Fulton Magistrate Judge Melynee Leftridge in the days before the July 31 primary will be investigated by the Georgia Government Transparency & Campaign Finance Commission to determine if any laws were violated.
The complaint was filed by Charlie Stadtlander, a gay voter. Leftridge faced off against open lesbian Jane Morrison in the non-partisan campaign for the open seat of Fulton State Judge. Morrison won with more than 60 percent of the vote.
Statdlander accused Leftridge in his complaint of an “apparent elaborate scheme to funnel some $18,500 to a company responsible for maintaining a website www.pirouettesexy.com” that features “pictures of scantly clad women.”
The Secretary of State is investigating errors made by Fulton County elections officials in the July 31 primary including races with gay candidates.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that "results showed several of Fulton's precincts had a voter turnout greater than 100 percent, including one with a 23,300 percent turnout."
The state is specifically investigating the Democratic primary for House District 58, which openly gay Rep. Simone Bell won with 58.7 percent of the vote. According to the AJC, 345 voters in a small section of Reynoldstown were incorrectly sent to vote in the District 59 race.
The AJC is reporting that "significant issues" are occurring in Fulton County today as some voters are apparently being sent to the wrong precincts. The problems impact two races with gay candidates on the ballot.
The Secretary of State's office is also not getting "any cooperation" from Fulton County election officials, according to the report.
State Rep. Simone Bell says she signed onto a letter that was provided by several LGBT activists to Fulton Judge Jackson Bedford during Thursday's sentencing hearing seeking leniency for two of the defendants in the anti-gay assault on Brandon White because she wants the case moved to federal court and pave the way for a state hate crime law to be passed in Georgia.
In a press statement released late Thursday, Rep. Bell said she sees the Feb. 4 attack on Brandon White, 20, an openly gay man, "centered in hate due to his sexual orientation."
Charged in the beating are Dorian Moragne, 19, and Darael Demare Williams, 17. A group of LGBT activists are asking Fulton Superior Court Judge Jackson Bedford sentence them probation rather than a lengthy prison sentence.
Christopher Cain, 18, also charged in the attack, pleaded guilty Thursday to the same charges Moragne and Williams pleaded guilty to on May 29: being part of a gang, two counts of aggravated assault, and robbery by force.
Christopher Cain, one of the attackers in the brutal assault of a gay man, will appear Monday, June 11, in Fulton Superior Court to charges related to the assault. He is listed on the plea and arraignment calendar, according to a spokesperson from the Fulton District attorney's office.
Cain, 18, has remained in jail since his arrest Feb. 11 after being denied bond by Judge Jackson Bedford for being a threat to the community and for being on probation for when he was arrested.
Two of the other attackers pleaded guilty on May 29 to being part of a gang as well as the attack of Brandon White, 20, on Feb. 4.
A video of the the assault in the Pittsburgh community of southwwest Atlanta in which the attackers repeatedly called White "faggot" went viral after it was uploaded to a hip hop website.
Dorian Moragne, 19, and Dareal Demare Williams, 18, pleaded guilty today in Fulton County Superior Court in the brutal assault Brandon White, a black gay man, on Feb. 4 in the Pittsburgh community. Sentencing hearing will be held in July and the men face up to 15 and 20 years on each count.
During the hearing today before Fulton Superior Court Judge Jackson Bedford, prosecutor J. Gabriel Banks said the assault was instigated by another suspect, Christopher Cain, who alleged that the victim, White, 20, made a sexual advance toward him. Another suspect, Javaris Williams, was also allegedly involved in the attack that was videotaped and uploaded to a hip hop website.
As YouthPride continues to face obstacles including a funding crisis, a group of young people who have used its services before are now breaking off to begin forming their own organization.
In a press release sent today, members of "JustUsATL" are hosting a town hall forum on March 31 at Greater Smith Church at 7 p.m. The church is located at 183 Mayson Ave., Atlanta, GA 30303. More information about the group and town hall can be found on JustUsATL's Facebook page.
"LGBTQ young people including teens and young adults have come together in a consensus-based process to form a new organization," states the press release.
At a Fulton Magistrate Court hearing today, Inman Park United Methodist Church agreed to allow YouthPride stay in its space for now as a way to settle the disagreements between the two parties "peacefully," according to the church's attorney.
The consent order was reached before today's hearing but the specifics of the agreement won't be available until tomorrow after it is signed by a judge, said Peter Morgan, attorney representing Inman Park UMC.
"We came to an agreement … to settle things peacefully and to the benefit of both parties," Morgan said following the hearing.