The Georgia Supreme Court has affirmed the ruling to remove Douglas County Probate Judge Christina Peterson from office, backing the charge of "systemic incompetence" brought against her by the Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC). Peterson also will not be permitted to seek or be appointed to any judicial office within Georgia for a period of seven years following the decision, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Her professional conduct came into question following several FOX 5 I-Team investigations; she displayed disregard for courthouse rules, abusive behavior towards staff, and inappropriate social media activity, though her judgment in incarcerating a naturalized citizen over a marriage certificate issue took precedence in the JQC's decision, as per findings by FOX 5 Atlanta, despite this episode, Judge Peterson is not new to controversy and was arrested last week for an altercation with an Atlanta police officer outside a Buckhead restaurant.
In a turn of personal circumstances that seemed an echo of her courtroom demeanor, Peterson was taken into custody after reportedly striking an Atlanta police officer, and refusing to identify herself, her attorney Marvin Arrington Jr. presented her as intervening on behalf of a woman being attacked, according to Atlanta News First. Peterson, who found herself on the other side of the law is currently out on bond, with her counsel advocating for the dismissal of the charges and action to be taken against the man allegedly involved in the initial assault.
Her removal from the judiciary closely follows the incident at the Red Martini Restaurant and Lounge off Peachtree Road; Peterson faces multiple charges, including simple battery against a police officer and felony willful obstruction of law enforcement by use of threats of violence, as described in Fulton County Jail records, and though the wounded legal figure has just absorbed the hit of the Supreme Court's ruling, we have yet to see if the law will, in turn, hold the judge to its unyielding edicts, as her attorney evidently seeks to navigate these treacherous and consequential currents, as indicated by a statement obtained by Atlanta News First.
