On January 25, 2026, the Supreme Court of Georgia denied further review of the Superior Court of DeKalb County’s judgment in favor of former Mayor John Ernst and City Manager Christian Sigman. On an earlier appeal the Court of Appeals had reversed a judgment against the City of Brookhaven and remanded for reconsideration of a…
At its 88th Annual Conference in LaQuinta, California, Chris Balch was recognized for his demonstrated excellence in Local Government Law by the International Municipal Lawyers Association. The IMLA Fellows program requires a detailed and thorough application process in which the applicant must demonstrate a commitment to representing local governments by virtue of their training, experience,…
The City of Woodbine retained the Firm to provide legal services and training to the City Council to help it navigate a conflict over what is required and what is wanted for the governing of the county seat of Camden County in Southeast Georgia. The 2020 COVID Global Pandemic wreaked havoc on governments of at…
Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat is suing county leadership because the County is interfering with his ability to purchase vital safety and life saving supplies. Balch Law Group is honored to represent Sheriff Labat in his efforts to protect the people of Fulton County and in standing for the Rule of Law and against the efforts of…
Local governments across the state routinely say within the 3 day deadline of the Open Records Act, ‘We need more time to time to obtain the documents or review the documents and here is our self imposed deadline for when we will get the materials for what you requested,’ that routinely happens in all 159…
The firm was proud to represent the City of Canton and a number of its employees in a suit brought by Venture Capital, Inc. (“VCI”). VCI was in the business of processing fats, oils, and grease into usable post-consumer commodities such as bio fuels. VCI applied for and received a permit from the City of…
The citizens of the new City of Mulberry, in Gwinnett County, recently approved the adoption of their New City Charter. There are lots of steps that make up leading to a new city, and these leaders and citizens have navigated two of the hardest: (1) Getting a Bill passed by the Legislature that allows voters…
Our firm was asked by the International Municipal Lawyers Association, the Georgia Association County Commissioners, and Georgia Municipal Association to file a brief in support of a petition for review by the United States Supreme Court by former Muscogee County Sheriff’s Department Correctional Officer Keyvon Sellers. Earlier this year Officer Sellers was denied qualified immunity…
Months of negotiations, a lawsuit, 6 years of litigation, a jury trial and adverse judgment, followed by reversal in part by the Court of Appeals ended today with the complete exoneration of the City of Brookhaven and the advice by this firm in Ardent et al v. City of Brookhaven, et al. DeKalb Superior Court,…
Balch Law Group successfully defends Investigators with the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office in a challenge from the Columbus Consolidated Government (“CCG”) to the production of information gathered pursuant to 6 search warrants. Sheriff’s Investigators are looking into allegations of financial mismanagement by CCG pursuant to a request by the Governing Authority of the Consolidated Government….
MAYOR BIANCA MOTLEY BROOM FILES PETITION AGAINST THE CITY OF COLLEGE PARK FOR VIOLATION OF CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL RIGHTS PRESS RELEASE from Mayor Motley Broom [Fulton County, GA – March 1, 2024] – On March 1, Mayor Bianca Motley Broom, both in her individual and official capacity as Mayor of the City of College Park,…
CBS Mornings recently reported on Brookhaven, Georgia’s Police Department’s ground breaking drone program, illustrating how drones can be used by law enforcement. But what does it really take to implement a drone program that protects civil liberties? A city council voting on policy and a police department building a program are the final steps in…