Georgia divorce judges

FamilyLawCourts.com - No one over eleven believes it's working.

Georgia. Georgia courts - Lawdy, Lawdy Georgia judges - present a special problem. Problems not mentioned in Georiga's Judicial Qualifications Commission. Although at one time the State of Georgia issued a disclaimer which essentially stated, "Don't bother making complaints against judges. We don't have any funds for an investigation," we're happy to report Georgia found funds to do so.

Overseeing the State's case against judge Amanda Williams is Leah Ward Sears...who has an impressive history (regardless of one's personal views) on marriage. So it was all the more troubling when we contacted Sears about GPS with victim notification, to learn that Sears was not interested in passing the message along. She is very interested in traditional marriage; but safety? Not so much. Georgia, meanwhile, continues accepting grants which purport to teach people about healthy families....instead of providing devices to assist those from being killed.

The Commission on Judicial Qualifications accused Glynn County Superior Court Chief Judge Amanda Williams of "tyrannical partiality," making false statements, indefinitely incarcerating defendants, abusing court visitors and defendants, and nepotism.

Half these charges wouldn't have been lodged, had the bailiff in her court had the courage to step up and refuse to enforce illegal orders.

It's worth noting that since 2010, Seven of Georgia's Chief judges have "stepped down" once ethics investigations began. They were the usual. Nepotism, sex with attorneys who appeared before the court and one gun case.

Although we feel pulling a gun out and waving it around the courtroom as then-Chief Judge David Barrett did, was a mental rather than ethical issue, (which gives rise to Barrett's rulings. Appealing a ruling because your judges was a nutcase seems both smart and expensive. Wouldn't it be better if Georgia just did a better job of weeding out nutty and unethical judges? Or would that kind of weeding render the rest of the bench unbearably lonesome?

There are two methods used to become a Georgia Superior Court judge:

1. A lawyer need only file and defeat an incumbent in an election for an open seat.

2. Appointment by the Governor, who selects from yet another highly political "blue ribbon" panel. Then the next election features the appointed judge as the incumbent...which usually guarantees a win, in part to low voter turnout.

Although this clearly isn't working, no member of the legislature has proposed to change the way Georgia goes about appointing judges. Ergo, the good people of Georgia, (and many other states) will continue to appear before the political, rather than the best.

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