Senate Bill 244 pairs long-awaited justice reform with a legal lifeline for Trump’s 2020 election case costs
ATLANTA, Ga. — In a dramatic, last-minute maneuver before the legislative clock struck Sine Die, Georgia lawmakers passed a sweeping measure that could change the way the state compensates two very different groups: the wrongfully convicted—and former President Donald Trump.
Senate Bill 244, which nearly died in committee, now sits on Governor Brian Kemp’s desk after being revived and fused with a politically charged provision. The bill originally aimed to finally establish a consistent framework for compensating those wrongfully imprisoned in Georgia—a state that currently offers no statutory pathway for restitution. But the bill’s late-stage addition would also allow Trump and more than a dozen of his co-defendants to recover legal fees related to their now-compromised criminal cases in Fulton County.
Two Battles, One Bill
At its core, SB 244 does two things:
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Creates a legal mechanism to compensate wrongfully convicted individuals — awarding $75,000 per year of incarceration, so long as the claimant proves innocence of both the original crime and any lesser included offense.
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Permits defendants to recoup legal costs — but only if a case is dismissed after a prosecutor is disqualified, which is precisely what happened to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Trump’s high-profile 2020 election interference case.
That pairing has drawn criticism from multiple corners of the political spectrum—both for tying criminal justice reform to a provision seen as tailor-made for Trump, and for potentially opening the door for future high-profile defendants to seek reimbursement after prosecutorial errors.
Trump’s Case, Fani Willis’ Exit
In August 2023, Trump and 18 others were indicted for allegedly attempting to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. That case unraveled earlier this year when a court disqualified DA Fani Willis, citing a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she hired for the case.
With Willis now off the case and key charges already dropped, Trump’s legal team is expected to lean on SB 244—if signed— to demand reimbursement for what could be millions in legal fees.
The bill’s language doesn’t name Trump, but legal analysts say the timing and structure leave little doubt: the law was designed with his case in mind.
A Long-Awaited Win for the Wrongfully Convicted
The other half of SB 244 is something criminal justice reformers have been chasing for decades.
Georgia is one of only 12 states without a codified system for compensating wrongfully convicted people. Instead, exonerees have had to rely on individual lawmakers to sponsor custom resolutions—an ad hoc and highly political process that often leads nowhere.
“This would create the kind of consistent, transparent framework we’ve been pushing for,” said a spokesperson from the Georgia Innocence Project, which has advocated for wrongful conviction reform for years. “We’ve seen too many people walk out of prison with nothing—no resources, no apology, no support.”
This year alone, five Georgians who proved their innocence were denied compensation due to political deadlock.
If SB 244 becomes law, they could have another shot.
Political Fallout and Next Steps
While supporters hail the bill as a win for justice and due process, critics call it a cynical tradeoff: pairing humanitarian reform with a partisan legal bailout.
State Democrats are divided. Some supported the compensation provision but say they were blindsided by the Trump-related amendment. “We don’t like what got added, but we’re not going to tank a bill that helps innocent people,” said one lawmaker anonymously.
Governor Brian Kemp has not indicated whether he’ll sign the bill. But with bipartisan attention and national media watching, the decision carries weight—both legal and political.
