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Proposed congressional map shrinks Democrat district in Newton
Moves north, southwest parts of county into heavily Republican 10th District
Proposed congressional districts
This is the map of new Congressional district lines in Newton County the Georgia General Assembly approved Nov. 22, 2011, where candidates in the Nov. 8, 2022, General Election will be running for office. The pink area is the 4th Congressional District and the orange area is the 10th Congressional District. (Special | Georgia General Assembly)
Tom Spigolon
Updated: Nov 18, 2021, 6:32 PM
Published: Nov 17, 2021, 5:39 PM

ATLANTA — Newton County's part of the heavily Democratic 4th Congressional District will be reduced significantly if the General Assembly approves a proposed map released by Republican state lawmakers Wednesday.

House and Senate Republicans released a proposed map that moves north and southwest Newton County from the heavily Democratic 4th Congressional District into the heavily Republican 10th Congressional District.

The Georgia General Assembly has been meeting in special session for two weeks as lawmakers redraw legislative and Congressional boundaries in accordance with new 2020 U.S. Census population data.

Late last week and early this week, lawmakers passed new state House and Senate maps amid protests from Democrats that the maps were drawn in secret and without enough time for public comment.

On Wednesday, legislative Democrats and civil and voting rights advocates criticized the Republican congressional map at House and Senate committee hearings as ignoring communities of interest in favor of giving the GOP a partisan advantage.

The proposed Congressional district map released Wednesday will bring most of Newton County's geographic area into the 10th District represented by U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, R-Greensboro.

Most of the cities of Covington and Oxford and all of Porterdale will remain in the 4th District represented by U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia. A slight majority of Newton voters have selected Democratic presidential candidates in every election since 2008. 

Janel Green, who is the Georgia Democratic Party's 4th Congressional District chair, said transfer of parts of Newton County to the 10th District is part of an effort to remove reliably Democratic precincts from the 6th Congressional District to make it difficult for U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Roswell, to win re-election.

"It's too bad people in Newton County are being used as pawns in gerrymandering," Green said Wednesday. "They've had confidence in Congressman Johnson for 10 years and they're going to lose that."

Green said she was a "big fan" of drawing districts that better reflect the current demographic and political makeup of Metro Atlanta and Georgia following Democratic 2020 election victories that showed the state's voters were basically split between the two parties.

A first draft of the Congressional district map released in late September kept both Congressional districts in Newton County roughly in the same locations set after the 2010 Census. 

House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, said Wednesday that House and Senate Republicans “released a proposed map that reflects Georgia’s growing, diverse population, respects jurisdictional lines and communities of interest, and conforms to applicable legal standards including the Voting Rights Act.”

“This map will now go through the legislative process in both the House and the Senate, which will include public testimony and debate in both chambers," Ralston said.

“Unlike the unconstitutional maps drawn by a Democratic majority in 2001, we have sought to plan for Georgia’s future rather than cling to its past. And we have done so in a manner that has been thorough, transparent and inclusive. 

"That process has already included 11 hearings, more than 20 hours of public testimony and an online portal that has received more than 1,000 comments."

Republican lawmakers' proposed Congressional map appears to make McBath’s 6th Congressional District in north Metro Atlanta less friendly to Democrats by drawing in more white voters, while U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux’s 7th District in Gwinnett County remains a minority-majority district. 

U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop’s 2nd district also appears to have been drawn to include more white voters, which could make the southwest Georgia district more competitive for the GOP.

Capitol Beat News Service contributed to this report.


2020 Congressional districts
This shows the current Congressional district lines in Newton County which will change in 2022. (Special | Georgia General Assembly)
Covington man convicted of child abuse and neglect by Newton County jury
Carey Donovan Clark
Kate Verity
Updated: Apr 8, 2025, 8:25 PM
Published: Apr 8, 2025, 8:21 PM

NEWTON COUNTY – Last Thursday evening, a Newton County jury found Covington resident Carey Donovan Clark guilty of six counts of cruelty to children in the second degree and one count of aggravated battery.

According to a press release from the Newton County District Attorney’s office, the charges stem “from the abuse and neglect of multiple children.” There were a total of six children affected, all of whom were younger than 10. 

The case warranted the involvement of Newton County and Cherokee County DFCS and the children involved received services from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and A Child's Voice Child Advocacy Center. The investigation and arrest washandled by the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.

According to Assistant District Attorney Bailey Wilkinson, the three older children went to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and one child remained hospitalized for a few days due to internal and external injuries.

Clark’s co-defendant in the case, Nora Rodgers, was sentenced in December 2023 after pleading guilty. Rodgers received 60 years with the first 30 years in confinement. 

Nora Rodgers
Nora Rodgers

Clark’s sentencing will be held at a later date. A pre-sentencing report is still being completed, and Clark will remain in custody until he is sentenced.

According to the press release, both Rodgers and Clark would make the children involved perform exercises and would not give the children “necessary sustenance.” A doctor testifying from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta reportedly called the children’s experiences “torture.” 

According to Wilkinson, the abuse was dealt at the hands of both Rodgers and Clark. The eight of them had lived together since 2018.

When Rodgers was sentenced, a statement released detailed some of the exercises the children were forced to perform. 

“Over the years the children had suffered torture under the guise of punishment. They were forced to do extreme bootcamp style exercises,” the statement with Rodgers’ sentencing read. “They would have to run laps, squats with large

logs from the yard, jumping jacks, etc., for extended time periods and to the point of exhaustion and injury. They would often have to perform these exercises in the middle of the night and in the heat of summer."

The statement further declared that Rodgers would “beat” the children if their exercise was not up to her standards and that she would spar with them as well, often hitting them. 

Wilkinson told The Covington News that the methods to punish the children were decided on together by Clark and Rodgers. Clark did not engage in the sparring, but he was aware of it. She added that Clark did engage in the exercise and physical punishments, but not to the same extent as Rodgers.