Interview with Senator John F Kennedy, Orginal Sponsor of Marsy's Law for Georgia

Sen. John F. Kennedy was the original sponsor of the Marsy’s Law constitutional amendment in Georgia. As he prepares to leave the Georgia State Senate this year, the Marsy’s Law for Georgia team asked him about his time in office and the state of crime victims’ rights in Georgia.

Marsy’s Law Team: The legislative debate over the constitutional amendment for crime victims’ rights in Georgia was one of the most heated battles on this issue in the country. You kept fighting and ultimately secured the two-thirds vote needed in both the House and Senate to place it on the ballot. What was the hardest part of getting it done?

Senator Kennedy: First, it became much more personal than it should have. Fighting to give crime victims constitutional rights should be something we can all agree on. It took hours of patient discussions, along with some intense floor debate, to get it across the finish line. But the biggest challenge was simply reaching the two-thirds threshold in both the House and Senate. You can’t afford to lose many votes, so maintaining that supermajority was always difficult.

ML Team: What do you remember most about the conversations you had with victims of violent crime during the debate?

Senator Kennedy: What stood out to me was how much something as simple as notification can literally save lives. We spoke with victims and surviving family members and learned about several cases in which timely and effective notification of an offender’s release could have prevented assaults and murders. That is something I take very seriously, and it deserves strong legal protections.

ML Team: What has been the most interesting thing to watch as Marsy’s Law has been implemented in Georgia?

Senator Kennedy: I’ve been very encouraged to see judges take firm action when the system fails to properly respect victims’ rights. Rights do not mean very much if they are not enforced, and it makes me very happy to see judges taking Marsy’s Law seriously.

ML Team: What is your biggest piece of advice for crime victims?

Senator Kennedy: Stay involved in the public policy process. You may not be able to change what happened in your case, but you absolutely can make the world better for future crime victims. If crime victims and their families had not engaged at the grassroots level, we never would have passed Marsy’s Law. Pay attention to legislative debates and campaigns, and make sure the people seeking public office are delivering real results for victims.