A week after a special prosecutor began investigating allegations that a judge tipped off the targets of an undercover FBI operation, a Superior Court judge in Columbus has resigned.
Judge Douglas Pullen of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit informed Gov. Nathan Deal by in a letter Monday that he was stepping down from the bench on Sept. 1. He did not disclose a reason, except to say that after almost 40 years of public service, "I am ready to retire."
Pullen has been the target of an investigation by the state Judicial Qualifications Commission, according to court documents.
Joe Hendricks, the special prosecutor assigned to look into possible criminal conduct in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit, said Tuesday that he received information late last week that a Chattahoochee circuit judge had allegedly tipped off targets of an undercover FBI drug investigation in Talbot County, one of the six counties in the west Georgia circuit.
When asked if Pullen is the judge being investigated on such allegations, Hendricks said, "It's a matter I'm looking into, but I'm not able to name the potential people involved."
Hendricks is the district attorney in the Appalachian Judicial Circuit in North Georgia. He was assigned special prosecutor by state Attorney General Sam Olens after Chattahoochee circuit District Attorney Julia Slater recused herself from the case.
Pullen could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Special Agent Stephen Emmett, a spokesman with the FBI's Atlanta office, said the agency had no comment on the issue.
Pullen, the former district attorney in Columbus, was appointed to the bench by then-Gov. Zell Miller in 1995. He is one of a number of judges across the state, including several metro judges, who stepped down while under investigation by the Judicial Qualifications Commission, which probes allegations of judicial misconduct.
In a consent order filed Tuesday, Pullen agreed to "not seek, request or accept senior judge status for any court for which he is currently eligible or might become eligible in the future." The order was signed by Pullen and Jeff Davis, director of the state judicial watchdog agency.
As judge, Pullen has presided over a number of hotly contested civil cases, including dozens of class-action lawsuits. He oversaw a lawsuit filed by the city of Columbus against online travel reservation company Expedia.com, ruling in favor of the city that Expedia was not paying its full share of hotel occupancy taxes. Expedia recently filed a lawsuit against Pullen, prompting speculation in legal circles that Pullen was under investigation for his handling of the online travel lawsuit.
But Hendricks, the special prosecutor, said Tuesday, "The [Judicial Qualification Commission's] investigation was not in any way focused on the Expedia case or the online travel companies. It's a non-issue."
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