On April 27, 2022, the State of Georgia scheduled the first post-pandemic execution, for Virgil Presnell on May 17, 2022. The Federal Defender Program, which represents Mr. Presnell, filed a breach of contract action against the Attorney General’s Office, on grounds that the Office violated a contract that specified how execution-eligible cases would be scheduled after the pandemic. On the eve of Mr. Presnell’s scheduled execution, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shermela Williams granted a preliminary injunction preventing the State from moving forward with any executions in violation of the contract. The Attorney General’s Office appealed the decision to the Georgia Supreme Court.
Georgia Resource Center
Ensuring that all people on Georgia’s death row have meaningful and vigorous representation