An embattled Court of Appeals judge accused of taking advantage of an older client during his time as both a lawyer and a state lawmaker will be removed from the bench, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
The state’s judicial watchdog agency investigating Christian Coomer has repeatedly recommended his removal for ethical lapses. Coomer was subject to a years long investigation from the Judicial Qualifications Commission and a three-judge hearing panel recommended he be kicked off the bench.
“The judiciary’s judgment will be obeyed only so long as the public respects it, and that respect will not long survive judges who act in a manner that undermines public confidence in their judgment and integrity,” the high court said in the 7-0 opinion. “In this case, Court of Appeals Judge Christian Coomer is charged with patterns of behavior regarding his use of campaign funds and his dealings with a legal client that allegedly undermined public confidence.”
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
The opinion said, at first blush, “the matter is initially a close one.” But the justices said they then considered the hearing panel’s findings, particularly one that found Coomer acted in “bad faith.”
“Once we arrive at that conclusion, the matter ceases to be close; the appropriate sanction is to remove Judge Coomer from the bench,” the court said.
In a statement, the former state lawmaker and appeals court judge acknowledged his actions spurred the court’s decision.
“While I am certainly disappointed with this outcome, I acknowledge that my own errors in judgment resulted in the Supreme Court’s decision,” Coomer said. “I will use this setback as an opportunity to reexamine my flaws and do better. I remain committed to my core values of dedication to God and my family, and engagement in service to others.”
The investigations that led to Coomer’s removal from office began after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on the allegations against him in March 2020.
In a statement, former JQC Director Chuck Boring said Coomer’s removal is the culmination of years of investigation by the state’s judicial watchdog agency.
“At a time when many people voice doubts about our judicial system, the Supreme Court’s decision today should promote the public’s confidence in the judiciary by ensuring that judges that violate the public’s trust will be held accountable,” Boring said.
Coomer agreed to be suspended with pay after the JQC lodged ethics charges against him in late December 2020. He has received more than $460,000 in salary since then and, with benefits, taxpayers have likely spent about $600,000 on Coomer. The state has also had to pay judges who sat in for Coomer during his suspension.
His case — along with the case of former Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck, convicted of federal charges and sentenced to seven years in prison — spurred the General Assembly to approve a constitutional amendment cutting pay to suspended state officials indicted on felony charges related to their office. The amendment overwhelmingly passed during the 2022 general election.
The JQC hearing panel found Coomer took actions “to promote his interest (or his family’s) at the expense of his client’s or the public’s. In taking those actions, (Coomer) knowingly violated a host of legal and professional duties.”
Following last year’s hearing, the JQC panel found that Coomer improperly mingled money from his campaign account with his law firm’s banking account. Four times in 2017, his campaign account transferred between $1,000 and $1,200 to his law firm account. Each time, Coomer’s law firm account would have suffered an overdrawn balance had the transfer not been made, the panel noted.
It also found Coomer improperly used campaign funds to supplement family vacations to Israel and Hawaii. The judge took the stand twice during his quasi-trial.
Emotional at times, Coomer said the allegations tarnished his reputation and embarrassed his family. He admitted to “blurring the lines” between attorney and friendship when he asked former client Jim Filhart for three loans totaling nearly $370,000.
Coomer said he repaid the money with interest, though most of it was returned after Filhart filed a lawsuit accusing Coomer of fraud and malpractice.
In March, the state Supreme Court told the JQC hearing panel to reconsider its opinion. This led the hearing panel to issue another opinion in May, and it again recommended Coomer’s removal. This time, the state Supreme Court agreed.
Lawyers for Coomer, a former Republican state House majority whip, had said the judge should not be removed and instead receive a public reprimand.
— Staff writer James Salzer contributed to this story.
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