On Monday, August 18, 2025, the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) Investigative Panel and Chatham County Probate Judge Thomas C. Bordeaux Jr. filed a joint list of stipulated facts and admissions just days before an ethics hearing.
Bordeaux admitted to delays in issuing final orders in at least nine probate cases but denied that his actions constituted a failure to diligently perform his judicial duties, as alleged by the JQC Investigative Panel.
The ethics hearing, set to begin at 9 a.m. EST on August 25 in Courtroom 4C of the Eugene H. Gadsden Courthouse, will span two days. The JQC Hearing Panel will review the allegations against Bordeaux, who has served as Chatham County Probate Judge since January 2017, succeeding Judge Harris Lewis after his 21-year tenure. The hearing is open to the public and will be livestreamed through the courthouse’s broadcast system, as outlined in a JQC scheduling order issued on August 1.
Bordeaux, represented by Cartersville attorney S. Lester Tate III of Akin & Tate and W. Matthew Wilson of Bell Wilson Law in Atlanta, acknowledged the majority of the allegations in his November 2024 response to the formal charges. The charges accuse him of failing to issue timely final orders in probate cases, with delays ranging from 11 months to over seven years. Some of these cases were inherited from his predecessor upon taking office. However, Bordeaux’s legal team denied that his conduct amounted to willful misconduct or actions that harmed the administration of justice or brought disrepute to the judicial office.
In the joint filing, Bordeaux and his counsel maintained their position, rejecting claims that his delays constituted willful misconduct or a persistent failure to perform judicial duties.
The JQC’s charging document alleges that Bordeaux’s handling of the cited cases violated the Code of Judicial Conduct, which warrants discipline for conduct such as willful misconduct, persistent failure to perform duties, or actions that undermine public confidence in the judiciary.
The JQC Investigative Panel has brought 18 counts of formal charges against Bordeaux, which he is expected to address during his testimony at the upcoming hearing. The proceedings will focus on whether his delays in case dispositions breached judicial standards and whether disciplinary action is warranted.
The outcome of the August 25-26 hearing could have significant implications for Bordeaux’s tenure as probate judge, as the JQC determines whether his actions merit disciplinary measures under Georgia’s judicial conduct standards.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
