The Georgia Supreme Court declined this week to temporarily suspend a metro Atlanta judge on alleged ethics violations.
The state’s judicial watchdog agency said in its appeal to the Supreme Court that Douglas County Probate Judge Christina Peterson posed a threat to the public and her courtroom. The Judicial Qualifications Commission said Peterson should be suspended while facing 50 separate ethics charges.
It was the second time the Supreme Court denied the JQC’s request to suspend Peterson. The Supreme Court said because Peterson contests some of the allegations, a hearing should be held. But that doesn’t mean the charges against her aren’t valid, the top court wrote in its order.
“This denial of the motion for interim suspension should not be understood as discounting the seriousness of the charges against Judge Peterson,” the court wrote. “While some of the charges are relatively minor, many are quite significant. If proved, they may well warrant severe discipline. But we see no reason why that proof should not have to be offered in the ordinary course.”
Among the allegations against Peterson, who was the first Black probate judge in Douglas County when she was elected in 2020, are the misuse of social media and allowing staff to back-date official documents. According to the JQC filings, Peterson promoted her hobby as an actress and requested money on her birthday in public social media posts.
Cartersville attorney Lester Tate represents Peterson and is a former JQC chairman. He recently told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Peterson is now awaiting a hearing on the allegations.
“A lot of the things that have been alleged, the things that I have seen, are things that were either said in jest or things that related to her hobby of being an actress,” Tate said.
After graduating from the University of Georgia, Peterson was admitted to the state bar in 2013. She previously served as a practicing attorney.
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