Author

Ross Williams
Before joining the Georgia Recorder, Ross Williams covered local and state government for the Marietta Daily Journal. Williams' reporting took him from City Hall to homeless camps, from the offices of business executives to the living rooms of grieving parents. A native of Cobb County, Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Atlanta's Oglethorpe University and a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University. The Florida Phoenix is a sister media outlet to the Georgia Recorder. Both outlets are part of the nonprofit States Newsroom.
UPDATE: Suspect captured in Atlanta medical facility shooting that killed one and injured four
By: Ross Williams and Jill Nolin - May 4, 2023
This story was updated at 10 p.m. Wednesday, May 3, 2023. One person was killed and four others injured in a mass shooting at a high-rise Midtown Atlanta medical facility that put Georgia’s capital city on edge and immediately sparked calls on all levels of government for more action on gun safety. The shooting happened […]
Marjorie Taylor Greene lands on committees two years after House Democrats exiled her
By: Ross Williams - January 19, 2023
With Republicans regaining control of the U.S. House of Representatives, controversial Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has had her committee privileges restored after Democrats stripped them in early 2021. Greene has been tapped for the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and the Homeland Security Committee, her office confirmed Tuesday. The Homeland Security Committee deals with […]
Raphael Warnock wins U.S. Senate runoff, giving Democrats a 51-seat majority
By: Ross Williams - December 7, 2022
Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock will return to Washington to represent Georgia for the next six years after winning his Senate runoff Tuesday, handing Senate Democrats a coveted 51st seat. The Associated Press called the race at 10:26 p.m. Tuesday. By early Wednesday morning, Warnock had 51.3% of the vote, edging out Republican Herschel Walker […]
Decision day: Georgia’s whirlwind U.S. Senate runoff comes to a dramatic close
By: Ross Williams - December 6, 2022
When the sun rises Wednesday morning, Georgians will hopefully know who will represent them in the U.S. Senate for the next six years. Democrats are hoping to elect incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock and end their year on a happy note. Though the party outperformed expectations nationwide, just narrowly losing control of the U.S. House, the […]
Black voters, students home for the holiday help drive early turnout for Georgia Senate race
By: Ross Williams - November 29, 2022
Early voting in the U.S. Senate runoff got off to a busy start in Georgia, with more than half a million ballots cast as of Monday night, including more than 300,000 votes cast Monday. “Just…WOW!” tweeted Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer for the secretary of state Monday night. “GA voters, facilitated through the hard work […]
Georgia Supreme Court restores state’s strict six-week abortion ban, for now
By: Ross Williams - November 23, 2022
Most abortions are now once again illegal in Georgia because of a state Supreme Court decision. Last week, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert C. I. McBurney blocked the state’s controversial law, which bans abortions once cardiac activity is detected in the fetus, typically six weeks into a pregnancy, before most women know they are […]
Georgia Senate candidates hit campaign trail as Trump factor could again aid Warnock
By: Ross Williams - November 11, 2022
It’s already started. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker were back on the campaign trail Thursday, two days after an election in which neither of them received a majority of votes. The two are set to face off in a Dec. 6 runoff that is likely to be brutal and expensive. Depending on the outcome […]
Georgia’s short runoff election turnaround to spark frenzied ground game to capture Senate prize
By: Ross Williams - November 10, 2022
Herschel Walker and Sen. Raphael Warnock may be enjoying a break from their hectic campaign schedules for now, but they will soon be back on the roads and the airwaves hoping to convince Georgians to vote for them in the Dec. 6 runoff election. So will the grassroots organizations that aim to help them. On […]
Georgia U.S. Senate race likely headed for a Dec. 6 runoff
By: Ross Williams - November 9, 2022
Updated at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022. Georgia’s U.S. Senate race appears to be headed into a runoff as neither incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock or Republican challenger Herschel Walker are projected to exceed 50% of the vote. By late Wednesday morning, Warnock held 49.34% of the vote to Walker’s 48.6%, according to unofficial […]
Republican allies want to change subject after Herschel Walker abortion story bombshell
By: Ross Williams and Jill Nolin - October 5, 2022
Republican Senate hopeful Herschel Walker faced the toughest challenge of his candidacy so far Tuesday as twin scandals rocked his bid to unseat freshman Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock. Late Monday night, the Daily Beast published a report alleging that Walker encouraged a former girlfriend to get an abortion and wrote a check to pay for the procedure. […]
Yes, expecting parents in Georgia can now claim their embryo as a dependent
By: Ross Williams and Jill Nolin - September 20, 2022
Even with a wave of new state-level abortion restrictions passing or taking effect this summer, Georgia’s law stood out because of its so-called personhood provisions that accompanied the better known six-week ban on the procedure. One particular change that drew national attention was a new tax break for expecting parents. The state Department of Revenue […]
Georgia abortion law’s ‘personhood’ clause debated in the wake of abortion ruling
By: Jill Nolin and Ross Williams - July 19, 2022
The U.S. Supreme Court may have cleared the way for Georgia’s ban on most abortions after about six weeks, but the debate over the state law’s far-reaching “personhood” provisions remains unsettled. The state’s anti-abortion law was ruled unconstitutional by a federal court judge in 2020, and the state’s appeal of that decision was paused last year while the Supreme […]