The Supreme Court of Georgia has decided that an open records lawsuit against Athens district attorney Deborah Gonzalez can move forward. This comes after arguments were made by Gonzalez that the state’s open records law does not apply to her as she is a constitutional officer of Georgia’s judicial branch. The lawsuit was initiated by Athens-Clarke County resident Jarrod Miller in June 2023, who sought public records regarding serious issues such as staff shortages and ineffective prosecutions in Gonzalez’s office. In response, Gonzalez claimed that Miller did not have the standing to file such a lawsuit. However, the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Gonzalez did not demonstrate that the trial court made a reversible error when it rejected her arguments. The court also clarified that Gonzalez can be held liable in her official capacity as the custodian of public records.