Georgia Supreme Court Removes Atlanta Judge from Bench

I have often stated that we have more activists and box-checkers on the bench these days than qualified jurists.

A report out of Georgia is making me look like a genius.

A Douglas County Probate Judge has been removed from the bench after being arrested at a night club as well as some rather questionable rulings.

Take Her Gavel

Douglas County Probate Judge Christina Peterson has managed to get herself into a pickle.

Peterson is in videos that are blowing up all over the internet after she was arrested at a nightclub.

According to local reports, Peterson had the cuffs slapped on her after she started to push around police officers outside of a local restaurant and lounge.

I am not sure if that was the cherry on this sundae or not, but she also had a series of missteps from the bench that cost her the gavel.

The Judicial Qualifications Commission had recommended that due to “systemic incompetence” and ethical breaches, she should be removed from the bench.

In one case, she jailed a naturalized U.S. citizen from Thailand who was attempting to correct her father’s name on her marriage license.

Peterson claimed the woman was defrauding the court, and had sentenced her to jail. The woman’s sentence was later reduced to $500 and two days in jail, which she paid and served.

When the incident was further investigated, it turned out the woman was legitimately trying to correct a mistake.

Peterson was also hit for having lied under oath regarding the case, which the Georgia Supreme Court called “conscious wrongdoing.”

It was one of nearly three dozen counts brought against Peterson, of which a dozen were found to warrant disciplinary measures.

Due to the court’s ruling, Peterson cannot pursue any judicial position for seven years from the date of the ruling.