January 1, Georgia Supreme Court Ousts Judge for Incompetence and Ethics Violations: Uncover the Details

The Georgia Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Douglas County Probate Judge Christina Peterson should be removed from office due to separate ethics charges. This decision comes after the Judicial Qualifications Commission found Peterson guilty of “systemic incompetence” and recommended her removal in April.

In one misconduct case, Peterson’s decision to jail a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Thailand who sought to amend her marriage license troubled the court. Peterson ruled the woman was trying to defraud the court and sentenced her to a maximum of 20 days in jail, which could be reduced to two days if the woman paid a $500 fine. The woman paid the fine and was released after two days.

However, the panel found that the woman was “in good faith trying to correct” what appeared to be “an innocent mistake borne out of ignorance rather than ill-intent,” according to the court documents.

The court discovered that Peterson made “untruthful” testimony to the panel about the case, which “underscores her conscious wrongdoing” in finding the woman guilty of criminal contempt.

This was just one of 30 counts brought against Peterson, with 12 of those counts warranting discipline. The court ruled, “Accordingly, it is ordered that Judge Christina Peterson of the Douglas County Probate Court be removed from office, effective upon the date of this opinion.” Peterson will not be eligible for election or appointment to any future judicial position in Georgia for seven years.

While dealing with misconduct allegations, Peterson was arrested early Thursday at the Red Martini Restaurant and Lounge after allegedly pushing an Atlanta police officer in the chest twice during an altercation. Atlanta police released bodycam video of the incident, and the officer was working an approved extra job at the time.

Peterson’s attorney, Marvin Arrington Jr., told reporters during a press conference on Friday that Peterson was trying to defend a woman who was being attacked by an unknown man and should not have been arrested.

As our loyal readers, we encourage you to share your thoughts and opinions on this issue. Let your voice be heard and join the discussion below.

Source