Fulton County’s Board of Commissioners has officially denied District Attorney Fani Willis’s request for additional funding, rejecting her urgent plea for more taxpayer dollars despite her warnings that failure to do so would lead to deadly consequences. The decision, reached with a 5-2 vote, follows weeks of contention over the county’s 2025 budget and Willis’s insistence that budgetary constraints would prevent her from fulfilling her prosecutorial duties effectively.
In a December 11 letter to the commissioners, Willis warned that if her office did not receive sufficient funding, she would consider legal action against the board. She explicitly stated that enacting the proposed budget would lead to fatalities, emphasizing in bold print: “Hear me clearly: if you enact the proposed budget, people will die.”
Despite her strong warnings, the board ultimately approved a $39.3 million budget for the District Attorney’s Office, a 9% increase from the previous year’s $36 million. However, Willis has argued that the approved funding remains inadequate to handle the volume and complexity of cases in Fulton County. A spokesperson for Willis reaffirmed her stance, thanking the two commissioners—Dana Barrett and Marvin Arrington—who supported her request for additional funding.
Fulton County’s board of commissioners has denied Fani Willis’s plea for additional funding after she threatened to sue them if they didn’t acquiesce to her demands. Otherwise, “people will die” as a consequence of budgetary cuts, Willis claimed.https://t.co/zFiPJNk2NK
— Mia Cathell (@MiaCathell) February 11, 2025
Barrett, one of the two dissenting votes, advocated for a more proactive approach to addressing issues within the county’s justice system, including an additional $15 million earmarked for public safety offices and nearly $3 million in additional funding for Willis’s office. In contrast, Commissioner Bridget Thorne, who voted with the majority, expressed concerns about premature spending on the county jail, citing uncertainties about the financial obligations under a federal consent decree aimed at improving jail conditions.
A recent investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice found that the Fulton County Jail, also known as Rice Street, suffers from severe overcrowding and dangerous conditions, violating constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. Since 2022, at least six inmates have died from violence, and in 2023 alone, there were 313 documented stabbings, many involving makeshift weapons fashioned from deteriorating jail fixtures.
Willis has argued that underfunding her office will only exacerbate the crisis, leading to increased jail populations and heightened risks to public safety. She has projected that inmate numbers could rise by 1,000 detainees by the end of the year, surpassing the jail’s capacity and reversing recent progress in reducing violent crime.
The county’s adopted $989.8 million general fund budget does not include a tax increase, though revenue is expected to rise due to increasing property values. Chairman Robb Pitts defended the budget, stating that it balances the county’s need to fund essential services while respecting taxpayers.
It remains uncertain how Willis will respond to the commissioners’ final decision. Ahead of the vote, she urged the public to pressure local officials to approve more funding for her office. At a January news conference, she warned that without the requested budget increase, her office would struggle to keep the city safe.
Meanwhile, Willis continues to face scrutiny over her financial management and personal conduct. She has come under fire for reportedly spending over $770,000 in taxpayer funds on a subordinate with whom she had a personal relationship. The individual, Nathan Wade, was appointed as special counsel to lead the prosecution of former President Donald Trump in Georgia’s high-profile RICO case despite having little prosecutorial experience in racketeering cases.
Wade, who specializes in personal injury and family law, was paid significantly more than other special prosecutors on the case. Under oath, Willis defended his compensation, stating that Wade worked more hours than his counterparts. However, questions remain regarding financial transactions between the two, including reports that Wade paid for luxury trips with Willis, including Caribbean cruises and visits to Napa Valley. Willis has claimed that they split travel expenses, often through cash payments, but has provided no concrete documentation of reimbursement.
Wade testified before Congress that he had no prior experience prosecuting RICO cases and attended a specialized training course only after being hired. His deposition before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee also revealed that there was no oversight of his work, aside from Willis, and that he wielded “ultimate authority” over the Trump prosecution team.
As the legal and political battles surrounding Willis continue, the immediate challenge remains: how the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office will operate under the newly approved budget and whether Willis will escalate her response following the board’s decision.
