On Monday, July 22, 2024, Shermela J. Williams, a judge on the Fulton County Superior Court, responded to 17 counts of judicial misconduct that were brought against her by the Judicial Qualifications Commission of Georgia (JQC).

The case is entitled “In the Matter of Judge Shermela J. Williams,” with case numbers 2022-102, 2023-223, and 2023-348.

Judge Williams filed a 19-page answer to the formal charges through her defense attorneys, Gabe Banks of Banks Weaver and Jamala McFadden of The Employment Law Solution. In the response, Williams’s counsel outlined nine defenses against the allegations. They argued that the charges did not provide sufficient factual or legal basis to subject Williams to discipline by the JQC.

The judges’ attorneys also claimed that some of the alleged acts fell outside the JQC’s jurisdiction and authority according to the Georgia Constitution. Further, they asserted that the investigative process denied Williams due process and an impartial hearing. Ultimately, the response requested the dismissal of all three complaints filed against Williams with the JQC dating back to 2022.

One of the primary allegations involved a phone call Williams had with a respondent regarding a personal child custody matter that was before the judge. In her answer, Williams admitted to directly calling the respondent on October 18, 2021, about scheduling in the case. She acknowledged asking if the respondent wanted to three-way call their attorney but the respondent declined.

However, Williams denied other specific details relating to the call that were described in the JQC charges, such as mentioning a “plan” or their shared sorority membership. The judge also admitted to informing parties during a December 14, 2021, motions hearing that the respondent had served as a guardian ad litem in other cases before her.

Yet in her initial response, Williams denied not informing the opposing party after her private phone call, which contradicted her later admission that the transcript from the hearing showed the petitioner’s counsel acknowledging a lack of notice. There were also inconsistent statements regarding the cancellation of a hearing following the call.

The remaining allegations pertained to delays in finalizing orders for custody and divorce cases under Williams’s purview. While Williams admitted to the majority of these delays in her answer, she maintained that the conduct did not warrant sanctions beyond a private reprimand. She argued all complaints should be dismissed and costs assessed against the JQC.

Now that the formal charges have been answered, the next step is for the JQC Hearing Panel to schedule further proceedings in the judicial misconduct case, unless the parties can reach a consent agreement to resolve the matter.

Judge Williams‘ courtroom is located at 185 Central Ave, S.W., Atlanta, GA 30303, and can be reached at 404-612-4991.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.