The Cobb Web
Cobb County located in the State of Georgia had a population of 760,141 as of 2019 making it Georgia’s third most populous county. Despite Cobb County’s large population, there are more close connections and relationships amongst those in power than would seem to be the result of natural occurrences.
For those familiar with the multiple close friendships and family connections amongst the people in power of the Cobb County court system, there may be a clearer picture of why and how Cobb’s Superior Court judges make their decisions. The relevant applicable laws and the facts of the cases may tell some of the story, but perhaps there is more to consider.
A Short List
- Roy E. Barnes
- Thomas "Tom" J. Browning
- Tyler J. Browning
- Thomas E. Cauthorn III
- Hylton Dupree
- Hon. Robert E. Flournoy III
- Katie K. Leonard
- Hon. Robert D. Leonard II
- Hon. A. Gregory Poole
- Hon. Allison B. Salter
- Charles B. Tanksley
- Kathryn Tanksley
See also WikiLaw page Cobb County - Judicial Misconduct.
Roy E. Barnes
Roy Barnes is a Cobb County attorney who served as the 80th Governor of the State of Georgia from 1999 to 2003. During that time, he appointed Judge Robert E. Flournoy III to the Cobb County Superior Court on July 14, 2000 and former Judge Kathryn Tanksley to the State Court of Cobb County in 2003. Kathryn Tanksley was the wife of Barnes’s former law partner Charles B. Tanksley.
At the time of Tanksley’s appointment to the bench, she was an associate attorney with her husband Charles in the Marietta law firm of Browning & Tanksley, where Barnes formerly was a partner along with Thomas “Tom” J. Browning. Her husband, although a Republican, was an assistant floor leader for Barnes in the Senate.
Shortly after his last term as Governor, “Barnes founded the Barnes Law Group with his daughter, Allison Barnes Salter; son-in-law, John Salter; and long-time law partner, Charles Tanksley. The Barnes Law Group continues Barnes' private law practice which began in 1975 when he formed his first law firm.”
Robert E. Flournoy III - Superior Court Judge
Judge Flournoy, III was appointed to the Cobb County Superior Court by Governor Roy E. Barnes on July 14, 2000 and was elected without opposition in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018. During his first term, he hired Tyler J. Browning (the son of Judge Flournoy’s longtime friend Tom Browning) as his staff attorney.
In 2010, Judge Flournoy initiated a custody action against his daughter for which he hired Thomas “Tom” J. Browning.
In 2016, Judge Flournoy asked Tyler Browning to be his election campaign Chairperson and Tom Browning to be his Treasurer. Both father and son accepted and still maintain those roles.
Judge Flournoy and Cobb attorney Hylton Dupree are known in the county community to be longtime friends.