JQC Chair resigns over 1st Amendment Controversy
Super Court Judge Brenda Weaver announced her resignation as Chair of the Judicial Qualification Commission in a message to fellow Commission board members today. Judge Weaver, under fire for her role in the issuing of an indictment against a Fannin County publisher and his attorney, told Commission members:
I sincerely appreciate the opportunity I was given to serve as a member and as the chairperson of this commission. The work of this commission is extremely important and nothing and no one should distract from its duties and responsibilities.
According to the AJC’s Bill Rankin,
Weaver made no mention of the controversy that’s engulfed her since the June 24 indictment against Fannin Focus publisher Mark Thomason and his lawyer, Russell Stookey. This occurred after Thomason filed an Open Records Act request for copies of cashed checks that he described as being “illegally cashed.”
There will probably be more to come on this story given that a Federal Grand Jury issued a subpoena for public documents on how the judges in the Appalachian circuit spend public funds.
About Author
IrishPat
Patrick Malone is a Business Advisor and Leadership Mentor headquartered in Blairsville, Georgia. He co-hosts Mountain Daybreak and Mountain Mornings, weekday news programs, and hosts This Week in Blairsville a weekend program on WJUL/WJRB. He is a mentor in Union County High School, serves on his church council and writes a monthly column on leadership in the animal healthcare industry.
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The Commission performed well with her as Chair. The matter of impending changes to the JQC may’ve been a small factor in the resignation, apart from the matter that ostensibly instigated the resignation.
I wish to retract the comment above, not a first though I don’t away indicate it. I made it because of the importance of innocent until proven guilty, and considering the totality of circumstances.
I had forgotten that Judge Weaver had been JQC chair since only April, hence she has no significant JQC Chair record. The Chair and Executive Director bailed since the Constitutional amendment if approved by voters would place the Commission under the control of the legislative and executive branches.
Instead of seeking to fix what’s not broken, this is a Constitutional Amendment initiated to break what was working well.
“if approved by voters”…. what a joke. A low information electorate combined with typical lame wording virtually assures any amendment will pass. When is the last time a Constitutional Amendment didn’t pass?
You’d think the wording of the amendment would be on the Georgia SoS website. Three of the five “Latest Elections New” items begin with the word “Kemp” ( http://sos.ga.gov/index.php/election ). Click the quick link “Proposed Constitutional Amendments” ( http://sos.ga.gov/index.php/elections/proposed_constitutional_amendment ) on the right side of that page to be directed to a blank page.
The Governor signed HR 1113 that included the wording over three months ago. It’s less than three months to the election. I suppose the bill’s proponents should’ve led off the ballot wording with the word “Kemp”.
Check out the wording for yourself:
“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to abolish the existing Judicial Qualifications Commission; require the General Assembly to create and provide by general law for the composition, manner of appointment, and governance of a new Judicial Qualifications Commission, with such commission having the power to discipline, remove, and cause involuntary retirement of judges; require the Judicial Qualifications Commission to have procedures that provide for due process of law and review by the Supreme Court of its advisory opinions; and allow the Judicial Qualifications Commission to be open to the public in some manner?”
I know this comment is off-thread, plus I’m talking to myself, a pair of nos-nos, but I hope that’s palatable since it’s the weekend (no open thread) and there’s been little in the way of comments to the post.
i think there’s some relevancy, so it’s more of a tangent than a threadjack. but it’s always nice to see compound questions over complex issues. most ppl probly think: well, why doesn’t the Assembly already have that power? no thoughts of political independence.
Well, she just found more time to spend with Uncle Jed and Jethro down at the Cement Pond!
Pat, Weaver is still a judge. Better edit your last sentence before she comes after you.
🙂