Local defense lawyer jumps into Columbus DA race as Democrat. What we know about election
Columbus criminal defense attorney Anthony Johnson is running for district attorney as a Democrat, making it a competitive race to see who replaces Stacey Jackson in the November General Election.
Jackson decided not to qualify for the election as he has been on extended medical leave for months.
Johnson, 37, is a Columbus native, having graduated in 2005 from Carver High School. He will be competing with acting District Attorney Don Kelly, who is running as a Republican to be the chief prosecutor for the six-county Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit.
Kelly, 58, also is from Columbus, having graduated from Hardaway High School.
He has been running the office since Jackson went on medical leave in November. Kelly said Jackson remains district attorney, but he is too ill to seek election.
Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Jackson to the post in 2022. The Harris County native was sworn in that May.
Johnson said he wants to focus on gangs and juvenile violence, which he feels “uniquely qualified” to address, with his experience representing young clients accused of serious crimes.
He also would employ the judicial system’s “accountability courts” more often to divert first-time offenders from serving extended jail or prison time, he said. Those courts specialize in cases involving issues such as mental health and drug addiction.
Another priority would be speeding up the discovery process in court cases, in which prosecutors share their evidence with defense attorneys prior to trial. The goal would be to avoid delays in resolving cases after criminal investigations are concluded.
With neither candidate facing opposition in the May 21 party primaries, the vote will be on Nov. 5.
Anthony Johnson’s background
After high school, Johnson joined the Air Force, where he gained an associate’s degree before earning a bachelor’s degree from Thomas Edison State University in Trenton, New Jersey, in 2009. He got his law degree in 2012 from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Auburn Hills, Michigan, he said.
He was on active duty in the Air Force from 2005 to 2009, then served in the Air Force Reserves from 2009 to 2016, he said. He has been in the Army Reserves since 2016, he said.
He was licensed to practice law in 2012, and has worked as a public defender in addition to his private practice.
