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. His work earned recognition from the Georgia Associated Press Media Editors and the Georgia Press Association, including beat reporting, business writing and non-deadline reporting. 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.
One for the books as Trump and rest of Fulton 19 enter Georgia justice system over 2020 election
By: Ross Williams, Stanley Dunlap and Jill Nolin - August 25, 2023
ATLANTA — At the end of a historic week at the Fulton County jailhouse, the criminal case against former President Donald Trump and his 18 allies also accused of subverting Georgia’s 2020 presidential election is just beginning. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis alleges Trump and the rest of the group – which include lawyers, […]
Anxiety rises for Georgia’s trans minors as state law barring hormone treatment starts July 1
By: Ross Williams - June 17, 2023
ATLANTA — At midnight on June 30, transgender minors in Georgia who are not already receiving hormone treatments will be barred from starting due to a controversial law passed by the state Legislature along party lines this March. One transgender teacher at an organization that works with queer youth, said the kids she works with […]
Raphael Warnock wins U.S. Senate runoff, giving Democrats a 51-seat majority
By: Ross Williams - December 7, 2022
ATLANTA – 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 […]
Decision day: Georgia’s whirlwind U.S. Senate runoff comes to a dramatic close
By: Ross Williams - December 6, 2022
ATLANTA – 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. […]
Georgia’s on-again, off-again abortion restrictions create doubt for fertility treatments
By: Ross Williams - November 22, 2022
ATLANTA – On Friday, Zach Binney, an assistant professor at Emory University’s Oxford College, brought his work stuff to the temple where his six-month old son Jacob goes to daycare. He spent the day working in the temple library instead of his office so he could spend 20 minutes with the baby during midday Shabbat […]
Georgia U.S. Senate race likely headed for a Dec. 6 runoff
By: Ross Williams - November 9, 2022
ATLANTA – Georgia’s U.S. Senate race was too close to call early Wednesday morning, but both Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker expressed confidence in their chances. “Herschel is ahead right now, and we feel very good about where we are,” said Ralph Reed, chairman of the conservative Faith and Freedom Coalition […]
Warnock gains momentum as Walker turmoil prompts some Republicans to split ticket
By: Ross Williams - October 12, 2022
Despite political headwinds favoring Republicans, freshman Sen. Raphael Warnock has outshined his Democratic ticket-mates and remained neck-and-neck with Republican candidate Herschel Walker. A new statewide poll of likely voters paid for by the Georgia News Collaborative and conducted by the University of Georgia finds Warnock with a slight lead and picking up steam with key […]
Authorities investigate explosion that destroys ‘America’s Stonehenge’
By: Ross Williams - July 7, 2022
ELBERTON, Georgia – The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating an explosion that destroyed much of the Georgia Guidestones, a quirky granite monument in Elberton near the South Carolina border. Sometimes called “America’s Stonehenge,” the guidestones consisted of several large, upright stone blocks built in alignment with stars and constellations and weighing in at 119 […]
University system ends era of free-speech zones on Georgia’s college campuses
By: Ross Williams - May 11, 2022
When Georgia college students return to their campuses in the fall, they could be in for more spirited intellectual debate than they’re used to. The state Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s 26 public universities, voted Tuesday to change their institutions’ free speech policies to bring them in line with newly-signed state legislation. The […]
Abortion rights protests erupt, perhaps a prelude of more to come
By: Ross Williams - May 4, 2022
The mood was similar to the George Floyd protests of the summer of 2020, as a diverse group of mostly young people marched, chanting slogans like “No justice, no peace” and “When women’s rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back.”
Trump sends cash to anti-Kemp group, marking his first big midterm donation
By: Ross Williams - April 13, 2022
Former President Donald Trump has opened up his wallet – or at least his political action committee – in the hopes of thwarting Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s bid for a second term.
Georgia Republicans pass transgender sports ban in final moments of legislative session
By: Ross Williams - April 5, 2022
Republicans used a last-minute legislative maneuver to slip language that could lead to banning transgender athletes from playing on girls’ sports teams in public schools into a bill targeting so-called divisive concepts in classrooms.