By Ross Williams | Deputy Editor
Benjamin Franklin said nothing is certain in this world but death and taxes.
Old Mr. Franklin sure seems to have known his stuff, because that’s just what we’ve got for you in today’s newsletter.
In the death department, the state could soon be dishing out more of it. The Georgia Supreme Court ended a pandemic-era agreement delaying the executions of nine prisoners.
And when it comes to taxes, you’re going to be paying more of them. Georgia reinstated its 33-cent gas tax at midnight after suspending it following price spikes stemming from U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The availability of COVID-19 vaccines for babies played a key role in a Georgia Supreme Court decision involving death row inmates. Scott Olson/Getty Images
By Ross Williams
The Georgia Supreme Court ended an agreement preventing the execution of nine death row inmates, even though the Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved the COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of 6 months.
Georgia’s average gas price on June 2, 2026 was $3.80 per gallon, slightly down from last month’s average of $3.83. Maya Homan/Georgia Recorder
By Maya Homan
Georgia’s gas tax will return Wednesday after a two-and-a-half-month hiatus, causing gas prices to rise by roughly 33 cents per gallon.
Gov. Brian Kemp first signed off on a six-day suspension of the tax in March in response to rising gas prices stemming from the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. In May, he extended the suspension for two more weeks, citing Memorial Day travel that was likely to drive gas prices up even further.
But with the holiday weekend in the rearview mirror — and oil prices holding relatively steady — Kemp said he will allow the suspension to expire for now.
Tamara Taitt, the executive director of the Atlanta Birth Center and a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Georgia’s midwifery restrictions, speaks at a news conference outside the state Capitol in Atlanta on April 2, 2026. (Photo by Maya Homan/Georgia Recorder)
By Elisha Brown, Stateline
Black midwives in the South, a region rife with racial disparities in maternal health access and maternal mortality, are leading lawsuits over state regulations that they say limit their ability to provide care.
Women behind the litigation say midwives can help improve birthing outcomes in Southern states, where maternal mortality rates are higher than the overall U.S. rate, and treat low-risk pregnancies in rural and underserved areas. They turned to the courts, they said, after legislative attempts to widen their scope of practice stalled.
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