Georgia Probate Judge Removed From Office Following String Of Conduct Violations & Violent Club Altercation w/Police

Judge Christina Peterson

Georgia Probate Judge Removed From Office Following String Of Conduct Violations & Violent Club Altercation w/ Police

A Probate Judge in Douglas County Georgia has been officially relieved of her duties.

Reports state that Judge Christina Peterson, 38, was stripped of her position and is barred from judicial jobs for at least 7 years after a high court recently found her guilty of more than 20 allegations of misconduct.

Judge Christina Peterson

The decision was made by the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission just days after Atlanta police released bodycam footage of Christina Peterson’s arrest this past Thursday (June 20th). According to her lawyer, the judge was attempting to help a woman named Alexandria Love outside of the Red Martini nightclub in Buckhead when she, apparently without realizing, got into a physical altercation with a police officer who came on the scene to de-escalate the situation.

Christina Peterson’s attorney is hopeful the footage will help prove her innocence, despite her seemingly refusing to cooperate and cursing at an officer in the video. She is facing a misdemeanor battery against an officer charge and a felony obstruction of an officer. Though the incident was grounds for termination, reports state that her arrest wasn’t the deciding factor for her firing.

Reportedly, Peterson had been under investigation due to having more than 50 complaints of misconduct. While the courts dismissed 20 of the claims, the other 30 were reportedly investigated and Peterson was found guilty of 28 of them. In one specifically “alarming” case, the judge was found guilty of holding a woman who appealed to correct an error on her marriage certificate in criminal contempt. She then sentenced the woman to the maximum jail time of 20 days plus a fine “without explanation or justification,” according to authorities.

They added that Peterson displayed:

“flagrant disregard for the law, court rules, and judicial conduct rules…[as well as] a pattern of violations” 

A judge has not ruled on Peterson’s charges at this time, though her lawyer said in a statement:

“As the investigation continues to unfold and more facts come to light, we believe that Judge Christina Peterson will be completely exonerated of these charges,”

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[VIA 1,2]