Senate committee approves bill to extend reciprocal discovery to misdemeanors, sparking talks with defense bar

The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced Senate Bill 202, which extends reciprocal discovery obligations to misdemeanor prosecutions in which the defendant elects reciprocal discovery, aligning practice more closely with felony procedure.

Senator Jones, the bill’s sponsor, said the measure expands prosecutors’ mandatory disclosures beyond the narrow current misdemeanor list and requires defense counsel to provide a list of witnesses if the defendant opts in. Solicitor Mika Loggins and other prosecutors argued the change prevents trial by ambush, modernizes discovery to reflect hours of body‑cam and phone evidence, and protects victims by giving prosecutors a fair chance to prepare rebuttal evidence.

The Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers told the committee it supports the principle but asked the Legislature to delay action and fold operational fixes from House Bill 1255 into a comprehensive approach. Defense advocates raised practical concerns — timelines, terabyte volumes of digital evidence, and subpoena logistics for law‑enforcement witnesses — and recommended longer production windows.

Senators said the bill would create a baseline for reciprocal discovery and urged continued stakeholder negotiations. The committee voted unanimously to advance the bill while encouraging further work on timing and process issues.