UPDATED
If you are in Douglas County, Georgia, Judge Christian Peterson, you are not having a good week.
Not only was she arrested she has now been removed from her office for “systemic incompetence.”
The Georgia Supreme Court has issued a significant ruling following an investigation by the Judicial Qualifications Commission, which found Judge Christina Peterson guilty of “systemic incompetence.”
One particularly troubling case of misconduct involved Peterson’s decision to jail a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Thailand. The woman had sought to amend her marriage license to include her real father’s name. Peterson, however, ruled that the woman was attempting to defraud the court and sentenced her to a maximum of 20 days in jail. This sentence could be reduced to two days if a $500 fine was paid. The woman complied, paying the fine and being released after two days.
The Judicial Qualifications Commission, upon reviewing the case, determined that the woman had acted “in good faith” to correct what appeared to be “an innocent mistake borne out of ignorance rather than ill-intent,” as detailed in court documents. Peterson’s actions were deemed excessively harsh and unjust.
Additionally, the court found Peterson’s testimony regarding the case to be “untruthful,” highlighting her “conscious wrongdoing” in the judgment of criminal contempt. This was only one of the 30 counts of misconduct brought against her, with the court deciding that 12 of these counts merited disciplinary action.
As a result, the court has ordered that Judge Christina Peterson be removed from her position in the Douglas County Probate Court, effective immediately. Moreover, Peterson has been barred from holding any judicial position in Georgia for the next seven years.
Adding to her troubles, Peterson was arrested early Thursday at the Red Martini Restaurant and Lounge. The arrest followed an altercation where she allegedly pushed an Atlanta police officer in the chest twice. The officer, who was working an approved extra job, was wearing a bodycam that captured the incident. Atlanta police have since released the humiliating video footage.
JUST IN: Georgia judge Christina Peterson has been removed from the bench after she was apparently caught on camera hitting a police officer.
The Georgia Supreme Court ruled that Peterson has broken multiple Code of Judicial Conduct policies since taking office.
“We agree that… pic.twitter.com/oHzDvhx4xH
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 25, 2024
After being removed from the bench Peterson told the Atlanta-based radio station WVEE that she got involved because she thought the woman was being assaulted by a man.
“The officer said nothing to me… he knocked me. He knocked me out,” she told the radio station. “He didn’t say anything to me. He didn’t give me any commands. He didn’t say he was an officer.”
