# Esther Panitch (GA House D-51) — Legislator Fact Sheet · The GA Files > Esther Panitch (D, House District 51 — Sandy Springs), the legislature's only Jewish member: her votes, constituent access, and donors — a state-level legislator fact sheet. *Source: https://thegafiles.com/EstherPanitch.html · The GA Files (thegafiles.com)* --- State Level Legislator Fact Sheet · Georgia House of Representatives · District 51 # Esther Panitch Party Democrat In Office 2023 – present House Role Member · Sandy Springs Scope of This Review 2023 – 2026 Esther Panitch, a Sandy Springs attorney, represents House District 51 and has served since 2023. The only Jewish member of the Georgia legislature, she has been a leading voice on antisemitism legislation — and was herself the target of a neo-Nazi who was later sentenced to prison for threatening her and a rabbi. On the Republican majority's marquee bills she has mostly voted with the Democratic minority. (The 2019 Heartbeat Bill predates her tenure and is not shown.) 3 / 9Panitch voted **NO on most Republican priorities** below, while voting **YEA on the IVF-protection bill, the medical-cannabis expansion, and the income-tax cut**. **Methodology.** Each vote is Rep. Panitch's actual position from the official Georgia roll call (legis.ga.gov), transcribed into a verified vote database and cross-checked against the published Yea/Nay totals. The chamber tally and final status (became law / died in House) are noted per bill. 01 ## Riley Gaines Act SB 1 · 2025 Session NAY Floor Vote House vote (Passage), 2025 session — 100–64 Status Became law (2025 session) Rep. Panitch's Vote Voted **NAY** — against the chamber majority, on a party-line vote. ### Impact on Everyday Georgians Bars transgender women and girls from competing on female school and college sports teams and requires K–12 and college sports, locker rooms, and restrooms to be designated by sex assigned at birth. Supporters framed it as protecting fairness and safety in women's sports; opponents — including LGBTQ advocates and some parents — said it stigmatizes transgender students and invites invasive enforcement. #### Sources - [LegiScan — SB 1 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB1/2025) 02 ## Tort Reform SB 68 · 2025 Session NAY Floor Vote House vote (Immediately Transmit), 2025 session — 94–77 Status Became law — Gov. Kemp's signature 2025 priority Rep. Panitch's Vote Voted **NAY** — against the chamber majority, on a party-line vote. ### Impact on Everyday Georgians Overhauled Georgia's civil-litigation rules — limiting when businesses and property owners can be sued (notably for negligent-security claims), changing how juries are told about medical damages, and allowing trials to be split into liability and damages phases. Backers said it would lower insurance costs and curb runaway verdicts; trial lawyers and consumer advocates warned it makes it harder for injured Georgians to recover full damages. #### Sources - [LegiScan — SB 68 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB68/2025) 03 ## Religious Freedom Restoration Act SB 36 · 2025 Session NAY Floor Vote House vote (Passage), 2025 session — 96–70 Status Became law (2025 session) Rep. Panitch's Vote Voted **NAY** — against the chamber majority, on a party-line vote. ### Impact on Everyday Georgians Georgia's Religious Freedom Restoration Act bars state and local government from “substantially burdening” a person's exercise of religion without a compelling interest. Supporters called it a long-sought protection mirroring the 1993 federal law; opponents — including civil-rights groups and some businesses — warned it could be used to justify discrimination, particularly against LGBTQ Georgians, since the state has no statewide anti-discrimination law. #### Sources - [LegiScan — SB 36 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB36/2025) 04 ## Gender-Affirming Care Ban (Minors) SB 140 · 2023 Session NAY Floor Vote House vote (Immediately Transmit), 2023 session — 97–74 Status Became law (2023 session) Rep. Panitch's Vote Voted **NAY** — against the chamber majority, on a party-line vote. ### Impact on Everyday Georgians Prohibits hormone therapy and surgical gender-affirming care for transgender minors in Georgia, with limited exceptions. Supporters said it shields children from irreversible decisions; major medical associations and families of transgender youth opposed it, arguing it overrides parents and doctors and strips away evidence-based care. #### Sources - [LegiScan — SB 140 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB140/2023) 05 ## Right to IVF HB 428 · 2025 Session YEA Floor Vote House vote (Passage), 2025 session — 172–0 Status Became law (2025 session) Rep. Panitch's Vote Voted **YEA** — with the chamber majority, on a bipartisan vote. ### Impact on Everyday Georgians Establishes a state right to access in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and protects providers — one of the rare bipartisan votes in this set. It followed national alarm after an Alabama court ruling threatened IVF, and aimed to reassure Georgia families pursuing fertility treatment that the procedure would remain legal and available. #### Sources - [LegiScan — HB 428 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB428/2025) 06 ## State Income Tax Cut HB 111 · 2025 Session YEA Floor Vote House vote (Passage), 2025 session — 110–60 Status Became law (2025 session) Rep. Panitch's Vote Voted **YEA** — with the chamber majority, on a party-line vote. ### Impact on Everyday Georgians Accelerated Georgia's move to a lower flat income tax, cutting the rate ahead of schedule (to 5.19%). Supporters said it returns surplus money to taxpayers; critics cautioned that flat-rate cuts deliver the largest dollar benefits to higher earners and reduce the revenue available for schools, health care, and public services. #### Sources - [LegiScan — HB 111 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB111/2025) 07 ## Property Tax Relief (LHOST) SB 33 · 2026 Session NAY Floor Vote House vote (Agree to Senate Amend to House Sub), 2026 session — 97–72 Status Became law (2026 session) Rep. Panitch's Vote Voted **NAY** — against the chamber majority, on a party-line vote. ### Impact on Everyday Georgians Authorizes a local-option homestead sales tax and related homestead relief, letting communities offset rising property-tax bills driven by climbing home values. Supporters framed it as relief for homeowners squeezed by reassessments; critics noted sales taxes are regressive and that any relief depends on each community choosing to adopt it. #### Sources - [LegiScan — SB 33 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB33/2026) 08 ## Homelessness Enforcement HB 295 · 2026 Session NAY Floor Vote House vote (Agree to Senate Amend as HAm), 2026 session — 93–76 Status Became law (2026 session) Rep. Panitch's Vote Voted **NAY** — against the chamber majority, on a party-line vote. ### Impact on Everyday Georgians Restricts unsanctioned public camping and sleeping and presses local governments toward enforcement and state-directed approaches to homelessness. Supporters said it keeps public spaces safe and orderly; homeless-services advocates warned it criminalizes poverty and can push people away from services without adding any housing. #### Sources - [LegiScan — HB 295 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB295/2026) 09 ## Medical Cannabis Expansion SB 220 · 2026 Session YEA Floor Vote House vote (Agree to Senate Amend to House Sub), 2026 session — 144–21 Status Became law (2026 session) Rep. Panitch's Vote Voted **YEA** — with the chamber majority, on a bipartisan vote. ### Impact on Everyday Georgians Expands Georgia's low-THC medical cannabis program — broadening the qualifying conditions and access for registered patients — and passed with bipartisan support. It widened eligibility for Georgians managing chronic and serious illnesses under the state's tightly regulated program. #### Sources - [LegiScan — SB 220 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB220/2026) Constituent Access ## Town Halls Public meetings with constituents · since 2023 Panitch engages constituents through her House office, the north-Fulton delegation, and frequent public appearances on antisemitism and public-safety issues. ## Documented Record - No fixed recurring solo town-hall series surfaced in local press for the review period. Panitch is a highly public legislator — prominent on antisemitism and hate-crimes policy — who engages through the Sandy Springs/north-Fulton delegation and frequent media and community appearances. State legislators' constituent-event records are thin and locally reported; this section will be expanded as more events are documented. Corrections are welcome via the contact link below. ## Sources - [Esther Panitch — Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Esther_Panitch) - [Esther Panitch — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Panitch) Campaign Finance ## Campaign Finance Who's funding Rep. Panitch · recent cycles Pinned — Individual Donors Mostly individual supporters Panitch’s reported donors are largely individuals rather than industry PACs — a grassroots-leaning profile for a high-profile Sandy Springs attorney-legislator. ## Top Contributors Panitch's largest reported contributors from the Georgia Ethics Commission (PeachFile). | # | Contributor | Total | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Greenberg, Seth (Atlanta, GA) | $6,600.00 | | 2 | Hagen, Bruce (Atlanta, GA) | $3,800.00 | | 3 | Gormam, Jeff (Stuart, FL) | $3,300.00 | | 4 | Menon, Rajeev (Johns Creek, GA) | $3,300.00 | | 5 | Network Inc., Georgia Solidarity (Atlanta, GA) | $3,300.00 | | 6 | Neuman, Joel (Brookhaven, GA) | $3,300.00 | | 7 | Panitch, Irwin (Potomac, MD) | $3,300.00 | | 8 | Panitch, Orlee (Rockville, MD) | $3,300.00 | | 9 | Wolfson, Howard (New York, NY) | $3,300.00 | **$160,607** raised · **$62,886** cash on hand — as of **May 13, 2026** (GA Ethics latest filing). Source: the Georgia Ethics Commission (Georgia campaign-finance filings). Reported top donors, not a full sector breakdown; Georgia does not produce OpenSecrets-style sector/industry rollups, and the Georgia Ethics Commission holds the official itemized filings. ## Sources - [Georgia Ethics Commission (PeachFile) — campaign finance](https://peachfile.ethics.ga.gov) - [Georgia Ethics Commission — official filings](https://media.ethics.ga.gov/search/Campaign/Campaign_ReportLog.aspx) - [OpenSecrets — Georgia state](https://www.opensecrets.org/states/GA) ## Verification Resources - [Georgia General Assembly — House roll-call votes](https://www.legis.ga.gov/votes/house) - [Esther Panitch — Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Esther_Panitch) - [Open States — Georgia legislators & votes](https://openstates.org/ga/legislators/) - [Georgia Ethics Commission — campaign finance](https://media.ethics.ga.gov/search/Campaign/Campaign_ReportLog.aspx) Vote positions are Rep. Panitch's actual recorded votes from the official Georgia roll calls (legis.ga.gov), transcribed into a verified vote database and cross-checked against the published Yea/Nay totals. Campaign-finance figures are pulled live from the Georgia Government Transparency & Campaign Finance Commission (PeachFile) and are current to the committee's most recent filed disclosure report; Georgia does not produce OpenSecrets-style sector/industry rollups. [← All Legislators](https://thegafiles.com/legislators.html)