Georgia judge resigns while under GBI investigation

The chief magistrate judge of a South Georgia county has resigned amid misconduct allegations, including that he engaged in “extra-judicial activity” with litigants at his rental home.

Bryan Selph resigned as Telfair County’s chief magistrate judge effective immediately on Jan. 14, telling Gov. Brian Kemp in a brief letter that the decision was “difficult.”

“It has been an honor to serve my home county in this capacity,” Selph said in the letter, which was accepted by Kemp the same day.

Selph and some law enforcement officers from Telfair County are being investigated by the GBI, though details of the probe have not been publicly revealed. A GBI spokesperson confirmed this week that the case is ongoing.

Selph was separately under investigation by the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission, which acts as a watchdog over the state’s 1,600-odd judges. Judges can be disciplined and ultimately removed from office if they violate professional conduct rules.

The JQC’s director, Courtney Veal, officially dropped the agency’s case against Selph on Thursday, filing his resignation letter and associated documents in the Georgia Supreme Court. She said Selph agreed to resign and not to seek or accept any judicial position in future as part of a deal to end the case against him.

Such deals are common among state judges facing removal from the bench. By resigning, a judge accused of professional misconduct can avoid details of the allegations being published in a formal charging document.

Last year, the chief magistrate judges of Haralson and Heard counties in West Georgia and the chief judge of Clinch County’s probate and magistrate courts in Southeast Georgia resigned to end JQC investigations of alleged wrongdoing. And the probate judge in Upson County resigned while under investigation by the JQC and GBI.

In ending the JQC case against Selph, Veal revealed only that he was accused of meeting with people who had pending cases in his court, inviting and accompanying them to a rental home he owns and “engaging in extra-judicial activity at the rental home which detracts from the dignity of judicial office.”

Veal also said Selph was accused of initiating, permitting and considering improper communications with two litigants regarding their pending cases in the Telfair County Magistrate Court.

“Judge Selph understands that should he violate this consent agreement, the (JQC’s) investigative panel and director may seek to enforce or rescind the agreement, proceed with further investigation, or file formal charges,” she told the court.

Selph did not comment on the allegations or his resignation.

Last year, the GBI confirmed it was investigating Selph and others in Telfair County upon request from Timothy Vaughn, the district attorney of the Oconee Judicial Circuit that includes the county.

Vaughn told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he is waiting for the GBI’s report and cannot reveal details of the investigation.

Bob Nadekow, the court administrator for Oconee and other judicial circuits, said magistrate services in Telfair County will not be affected by Selph’s departure. Nadekow told the AJC that four chief magistrate judges from surrounding counties have agreed to assist until a replacement is appointed.

Superior court judges from the area will also assist the magistrate court as needed and will appoint a new chief magistrate judge to complete Selph’s current term, Nadekow said. He said Selph was the chief magistrate judge in Telfair County, which has almost 13,000 residents, since his election to the bench in 2012.

In Georgia, chief magistrate judges are elected to four-year terms in countywide races and can be appointed under local legislation.