Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shermela Williams (County of Fulton/Facebook).
An accusation has been made against a Superior Court judge in Georgia, claiming that she utilized her position’s influence to promote her personal agenda and engage in judicial misconduct. The judge, Shermela Williams of Fulton County Superior Court, allegedly confined a young woman who had testified in a divorce case for more than half an hour in a holding cell in order to belittle her for her alleged “daddy issues.”
The Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) lodged formal charges against Judge Williams, accusing her of misconduct for not handling cases in a fair, prompt, and efficient manner. The JQC claimed that she attempted to take shortcuts and requested special treatment in cases involving her relatives and other personal matters, as detailed in their complaint.
Specifically, it was mentioned in the complaint that for the case of her uncle, Judge Williams abused her judicial authority by reaching out to a local law associate to secure an extension of time for a pending contempt action. Despite her efforts, the request was unsuccessful, showcasing the inappropriate use of her position for personal gain.
“During the call, Judge Williams told the associate that her uncle was going through a difficult time,” the complaint says. “Judge Williams asked the associate to agree to an extension. The associate then asked Judge Williams whether she was representing the uncle, and Judge Williams responded she was not. Judge Williams then stated that because the associate and others at her law firm were reasonable, they should ‘work something out.”” According to the JQC, Williams also did things that were just plain wrong.
After hearing the 22-year-old woman testify about having an up-and-down relationship with her father, Williams allegedly ordered a deputy to detain her in a bid to teach her a lesson. She chose to do this while lawyers were delivering their closing arguments.
“Let me tell you something,” Williams said, according to the JQC complaint. “I was a prosecutor for 10 years, and let me tell you what I saw over and over again; girls who came in here with daddy issues they never even realized they had, but that’s how they ended up in certain situations… …And what you choose to do as far as your relationship with your dad, that’s on you, that’s between you, your dad, and the good Lord.”
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The JQC says violations of the “Code of Judicial Conduct” warrant discipline, and it believes Williams is a perfect candidate.
“Judge Williams’ conduct as outlined above amounts to willful misconduct in office; willful and persistent failures to perform the duties of office; and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice which brings the judicial office into disrepute,” the complaint concludes.
