On Thursday, February 20, 2025, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the Judicial Qualifications Commission of Georgia has filed new ethical charges against Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shermela Williams. This latest development adds to the previous allegations against the judge, who is accused of misconduct during her tenure on the bench.

The commission outlined a series of serious allegations against Judge Williams, including claims that she unlawfully detained a 22-year-old woman during divorce proceedings involving the woman’s parents. The commission described this detention as a punitive measure related to the woman’s “daddy issues.” According to the charges, Williams held the young woman without any legal justification or findings during the court proceedings.

In total, the Judicial Qualifications Commission has leveled 15 additional counts against Judge Williams. These allegations include accusations that she delayed rulings in various cases, at times for extended periods, and improperly involved herself in her uncle’s contempt proceeding by contacting an attorney to request a delay. The commission’s filing indicates that it has found reasonable cause to believe that Williams engaged in multiple instances of misconduct while serving as a judge.

This new round of ethics complaints follows a previous set of 17 charges brought against Williams in June 2024. Those earlier allegations included claims of favoritism towards a sorority sister in a child custody case, as well as mishandling various cases.

JQC Director Courtney Veal has called for additional proceedings to assess whether Williams violated the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct over her four-year tenure. The commission will examine whether her actions constitute willful misconduct in office. A hearing for the initial set of charges is scheduled to commence on March 5, 2025.

Shermela Williams was first elected to the judiciary in 2020 and has been serving as a judge since January 2021. Her attorney, Gabe Banks, has stated that the most recent charges are not new and questioned the timing of the commission’s actions, suggesting that the JQC’s delay in filing these charges raises concerns.

In his statements, Banks expressed that the JQC should clarify why it waited until now to present these allegations just before the final hearing. He emphasized that Judge Williams has consistently sought to resolve these issues since the inquiry began in 2022, but he suggested that the JQC’s goal may be her removal from the bench.

Gabe Banks reiterated that he believes the removal of Judge Williams from her judicial position is neither justified nor warranted. He argued that such a decision would contradict the way other similar cases have been managed by the JQC and would undermine the choice made by voters in Fulton County during the last election. He concluded that all judges should be treated fairly and that disciplinary actions should be consistent and free from political influence.

 

 

Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution