The Georgia Society of Professional Journalists has filed a complaint with the state's Judicial Qualifications Commission against a North Georgia judge who pushed for the arrest and jailing of the publisher of a weekly newspaper in Fannin County.
The organization also has asked the state Attorney General to investigate reports that Chief Judge Brenda Weaver of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit was behind a felony charge against Fannin Focus publisher Mark Thomason because of an official request for public records relating to bank accounts assigned to the court.
Weaver is chair of the JQC.
SPJ said in its statement Wednesday that JQC rules require that details of complaints remain confidential, but “we can say that we feel there have been several potential violations of the state’s Code of Judicial Conduct. We hope JQC will launch an investigation immediately.”
The JQC declined to confirm whether it had a complaint or if there was an investigation against Weaver.
Thomason and the newspaper's attorney, Russell Stookey, were indicted, arrested and jailed on June 24 after they were indicted. Thomason was charged with making a false statement because of the wording of his request made under the Georgia Open Records Act for copies of checks drawn on court bank accounts that were "cashed illegally."
Thomason and Stookey were also charged with fraud and attempted fraud because they secured subpoenas for copies of cancelled checks they wanted as evidence in an ongoing legal matter.
Weaver has said she asked for the charges because the implication in Thomason’s letter requesting documents was false. She also said Thomason and Stookey could have used information they got from the checks they subpoena to access funds in those accounts, which each judge in the Appalachian Judicial Circuit has for operating expenses.
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