Panel: Douglas judge guilty of 'systemic incompetence'
A hearing panel recommended Douglas County Probate Court Judge Christina Peterson be removed from office.
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. - She must go. That’s the unanimous recommendation from a hearing panel investigating Douglas County Probate Judge Christina Peterson.
The first-time judge has also been the subject of several FOX 5 I-Team investigations since she took office in late 2020.
The three-member panel for the Judicial Qualifications Commission decided Peterson is guilty of "systemic incompetence" because she ignored courthouse rules, abused courthouse personnel, made inappropriate posts on social media and, in repeated cases, failed to do her job.
The extraordinary decision to remove Peterson follows four separate hearings starting in September 2023 where Peterson had a chance to testify and confront her accusers. She faced 30 counts of misconduct.
The one that troubled the panel the most involved Peterson's decision to jail a woman for simply trying to amend her marriage certificate to include the real name of her recently discovered father.
When PJ Skelton originally married, she listed her uncle as her father on the marriage certificate because he raised her. Years later, when she learned her birth father's name, she returned to amend the record. Instead, Judge Peterson failed to warn
PJ Skelton served two days of a 20-day jail sentence for contempt before her husband could pay a $500 fine.
"Such a hasty and shockingly disproportionate reaction is the hallmark of (Peterson’s) intemperance," wrote the panel.
The report criticized Peterson’s attempt at a neighborhood meeting to get her HOA to settle a lawsuit she had filed, even though she knew the HOA was represented by an attorney.
Douglas judge guilty of ‘systemic incompetence’
Douglas County Probate Judge Christina Peterson became a magnet of controversy from the moment she was sworn in for what is typically a non-controversial job. The hearing panel for the Judicial Qualifications Commission decided the probate judge’s actions proved she is guilty of quote systemic incompetence.
"(Peterson’s) attempts to avoid responsibility for these clear violations bordered on farcical, severely eroding her credibility with the Hearing Panel," wrote panel members.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office complained Judge Peterson ignored their orders and held a wedding after hours, allowing people inside without deputies present.
She once hit a panic button when a deputy was late escorting her to court, causing needless panic among security.
And the report pointed out when county staff criticized her actions, it "quickly triggers allegations of obstructionism or even racism."
One of Peterson's many social media posts the hearing panel found objectionable. In this one, she asks the public for cash birthday presents.
"These communications and actions reveal a judge (Respondent) who publicly vilifies colleagues, is quick to threaten them with unnecessary legal action, and generally projects a spiteful and vainglorious persona."
Peterson’s main defense was her inexperience as a judge, a problem she promised had been addressed through additional training.
But the panel wasn’t buying it.
The report also cited multiple examples of failure to actually do her job which needlessly delayed petitions before her office. The hearing panel said Peterson was guilty of "systemic incompetence… (Judges) are expected to act in a manner that promotes the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. Respondent has shown that she cannot — or will not — do so. And so she must go."
The Georgia Supreme Court will ultimately decide whether to approve the hearing panel's recommendation. Peterson has 20 business days to file a response and remains on the bench. Her attorney Lester Tate said "we disagree with the recommendation of removal and intend to go to the next level."
Peterson also faces opposition in next month's primary election. And earlier this year, her HOA began garnishing her judicial wages for the $43,446.76 judgment against her.