Difference between revisions of "Cobb County - Judicial Misconduct"

In June of 2021, Judge Robert E. Flournoy III was asked by way of motion to recuse himself from presiding over a custody case in which Tom Browning, founding partner of Browning & Smith who was Judge Flournoy's attorney in his 2010 custody case,<ref>[https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/images/c/cf/Flournoy_Browning_Conflict.pdf Cobb County Superior Court, Case No. 10-1-05727]</ref> longtime friend and campaign treasurer of Flournoy's, was representing an opposing party. The case was temporarily assigned to the Chief Superior Court Judge, Robert D. Leonard II (a.k.a., Rob Leonard) to hear the recusal motion. That motion against Judge Flournoy was filed and plead by Cobb County attorney Matt McMaster on behalf of the father fighting for custody in that matter. At the hearing before Judge Leonard, attorneys Tom Browning and the Guardian Ad Litem in case Leslee Hungerford of O'Dell & O'Neal ("GAL") defended Judge Flournoy in front of Judge Leonard notwithstanding McMaster's objection to those individuals functionally serving as Flournoy's defense attorneys. Despite the known relationship between Tom Browning and Judge Flournoy, Judge Leonard denied McMaster's request for recusal and the case was assigned back to Judge Flournoy. A motion for reconsideration was subsequently filed against Judge Leonard's order and that matter remained pending until Flournoy finally voluntarily recused himself citing the [https://mcmasterforcobb.com/why-matt McMaster For Cobb campaign website for Matt McMaster as candidate for Cobb County Superior Court Judge] on April 25, 2022.