Judge orders foster care reform in Fulton, DeKalb

An order issued by a federal judge Monday says Georgia child welfare officials must do a better job of finding permanent homes for 500 children who have been in foster care at least three years. The order by U.S. District Judge Marvin Shoob is part of a settlement to a lawsuit brought by a non-profit group to reform foster care systems in Fulton and DeKalb counties. Children’s Rights Inc. accused the state Division of Family and Children Services of contempt of court for not finding homes for the 500 kids. The order calls for DFCS to set-up a special unit to organize better efforts for reviews and strategies helping to find children permanent homes.

"Flagged" voters can cast ballots

Thousands of Georgians with voter eligibility in question will get to cast ballots in next week’s election--that word from a panel of federal judges. The process of state election officials continuing verification of new voter registration applicants will continue, pending preclearance from U.S. Justice officials.

The panel ruled Georgia needed to get U.S. Justice Department approval before implementation of a new process to use Social Security numbers and data from drivers licenses to check voters’ immigration status. Georgia is one of several states requiring federal approval before a change to election policy, as required by the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The federal ruling says the Secretary of State’s office must notify those Georgians whose registration is flagged. Those people will be allowed to cast "challenged ballots"--paper ballots put aside until a discrepancy is resolved. The District Court ruling also states no names can be removed from voter lists until a person admits in writing they are ineligible to vote.