Georgia Supreme Court Removes Judge Christina Peterson Following Arrest and Judicial Misconduct Charges

The Georgia Supreme Court has removed Douglas County Probate Judge Christina Peterson from office following her arrest for allegedly shoving a police officer during a profanity-laden scuffle outside an Atlanta nightclub. The court’s decision, issued on Tuesday, bans Peterson from holding any judicial post in the state for the next seven years.

The incident that sparked widespread media coverage involved Peterson, 38, who was accused of battery and felony obstruction of law enforcement. Bodycam footage of the event shows a chaotic scene where Peterson ended up in a confrontation with law enforcement. Peterson’s attorney, Marvin Arrington, maintains that she was attempting to break up a fight and believes the charges will ultimately be dismissed.

However, the arrest was not the sole reason for Peterson’s removal. The Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) conducted an investigation that uncovered a “pattern of judicial misconduct” during her time in office. The probe resulted in 50 ethics charges against her. In an interview with V-103, Peterson detailed her perspective on the allegations, claiming that many of the charges were frivolous and politically motivated. She explained that out of the 50 charges, 20 were dismissed before trial, and another 10 were dismissed during the trial, leaving 20 charges stemming from five incidents that she argues were beyond her control.

Peterson defended her actions and the charges brought against her, asserting that they were the result of a politically charged campaign against her. She emphasized her pioneering role as the first African American and woman probate judge in Douglas County, which she believes made her a target for certain factions within the county. She stated, “When I was elected, there were certain subsets of the county that didn’t want me to be serving Douglas County. Of course, I was a history-maker. I was the first female, first Black, first Democrat, because we’re still partisan in that race, so ever since I was elected, people started filing charges, frivolous complaints, against me – baseless complaints. But the JQC was weaponized, honestly, in my opinion, against me and pursued these charges.”

She detailed various charges, including one where she was accused of violating courthouse security during a wedding ceremony, an event she claims was manipulated by the media to portray her in a negative light. “One charge was, they said, I did a courthouse wedding where I violated courthouse security. But when we went to trial, you saw that I didn’t let those people in the courthouse. That was the sheriff’s deputy that did that. So, if you see on the video, it was 15 people coming in the courthouse. That wasn’t Judge Peterson, that was the sheriff’s deputy conducting his own African wedding and letting 15 people in. They just manipulated the video and made it look like I was doing it.”

Despite her removal, Peterson remains resolute and committed to fighting for the people. She continues to work as an attorney and maintains her involvement in other pursuits, including acting and singing. In her interview, Peterson expressed gratitude for her supporters and remained optimistic about her future endeavors. “I have always been a woman of character, always been a high performing woman with no issues until I got into this political realm. So, I just hope you take a moment to try to understand what’s really going on.”