Difference between revisions of "Flournoy Train Leads Newbie Off A Cliff"
Flournoy Train Leads Newbie Off A Cliff (view source)
Revision as of 22:17, 8 July 2023
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Staff Attorney Matt Freedman spent years under the guidance of Robert E. Flournoy III who is perhaps one of Cobb County’s most controversial Superior Court judges, not known for his integrity but well known for his poor temperament, lack of self control and sometimes incoherent rambling from the bench.<ref>[https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/index.php?title=Child_endangering_Cobb_County_judge_prepares_for_senior_judgeship#Cronyism_and_Bullying_from_the_Bench ''Child endangering judge prepares for senior judgeship'', by Deborah Beacham, Navigating Justice]</ref> Many in the legal community credit Judge Flournoy as the cause for Judge Robert D. Leonard II being challenged in the 2022 election. As the story goes, Judge Leonard refused to disqualify Judge Flournoy from presiding over a case that involved Judge Flournoy’s own attorney and campaign treasurer and, considering Judge Flournoy was not up for re-election, Judge Leonard found himself in a fight to save his job against two challengers in the 2022 Cobb County Superior Court judicial election for enabling Flournoy.<ref>[https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/index.php?title=The_Lion%27s_Den Matthew D. McMaster, ''The Lion's Den'']</ref> | Staff Attorney Matt Freedman spent years under the guidance of Robert E. Flournoy III who is perhaps one of Cobb County’s most controversial Superior Court judges, not known for his integrity but well known for his poor temperament, lack of self control and sometimes incoherent rambling from the bench.<ref>[https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/index.php?title=Child_endangering_Cobb_County_judge_prepares_for_senior_judgeship#Cronyism_and_Bullying_from_the_Bench ''Child endangering judge prepares for senior judgeship'', by Deborah Beacham, Navigating Justice]</ref> Many in the legal community credit Judge Flournoy as the cause for Judge Robert D. Leonard II being challenged in the 2022 election. As the story goes, Judge Leonard refused to disqualify Judge Flournoy from presiding over a case that involved Judge Flournoy’s own attorney and campaign treasurer and, considering Judge Flournoy was not up for re-election, Judge Leonard found himself in a fight to save his job against two challengers in the 2022 Cobb County Superior Court judicial election for enabling Flournoy.<ref>[https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/index.php?title=The_Lion%27s_Den Matthew D. McMaster, ''The Lion's Den'']</ref> | ||
In a comparable child custody case which was assigned to Judge Flournoy prior to his retirement, Judge Flournoy refused to remove a Guardian ad Litem ("GAL") from that case despite a conflict of interest between the GAL and the attorney of record for a plaintiff-father.<ref>[https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/images/0/00/Motion_to_Remove_GAL_Ogundana.pdf ''Motion to Disqualify Court Appointed Guardian Ad Litem'', Cobb County Superior Court, Case No. 20104957]; [https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/images/1/15/Order_Denying_Motion_to_Remove_GAL_Ogundana.pdf ''Order Denying Motion to Disqualify Guardian Ad Litem'', Cobb County Superior Court, Case No. 20104957]</ref> As expected in light of the presumed bias of the GAL, the father in that case has received full custody of the child and the mother has temporarily been denied all rights despite evidence of physical abuse by the father.<ref>[https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/images/a/ab/Order_Removing_Custody_Ogundana.pdf ''Temporary Order of Modification of Custody and Child Support'', Cobb County Superior Court, Case No. 20104957]</ref> Though the entire case is a jumbled mess of impropriety,<ref>Rule 2.3(B) of the Code of Judicial Conduct states: "A judge shall not, in the performance of judicial duties, by words or conduct manifest bias or prejudice . . . . Judges shall not permit court staff, court officials, or others subject to the judge’s direction and control to do so." In 2019, Cobb County Superior Court Judge Robert E. Flournoy's staff attorney, Matt Freedman, gave a public review on Google to a Guardian Ad Litem, Brandi Daswani | In a comparable child custody case which was assigned to Judge Flournoy prior to his retirement, Judge Flournoy refused to remove a Guardian ad Litem ("GAL") from that case despite a conflict of interest between the GAL and the attorney of record for a plaintiff-father.<ref>[https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/images/0/00/Motion_to_Remove_GAL_Ogundana.pdf ''Motion to Disqualify Court Appointed Guardian Ad Litem'', Cobb County Superior Court, Case No. 20104957]; [https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/images/1/15/Order_Denying_Motion_to_Remove_GAL_Ogundana.pdf ''Order Denying Motion to Disqualify Guardian Ad Litem'', Cobb County Superior Court, Case No. 20104957]</ref> As expected in light of the presumed bias of the GAL, the father in that case has received full custody of the child and the mother has temporarily been denied all rights despite evidence of physical abuse by the father.<ref>[https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/images/a/ab/Order_Removing_Custody_Ogundana.pdf ''Temporary Order of Modification of Custody and Child Support'', Cobb County Superior Court, Case No. 20104957]</ref> Though the entire case is a jumbled mess of impropriety,<ref>Rule 2.3(B) of the [https://gajqc.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2021/06/Code-of-Judicial-Conduct-2020.pdf Code of Judicial Conduct] states: "A judge shall not, in the performance of judicial duties, by words or conduct manifest bias or prejudice . . . . Judges shall not permit court staff, court officials, or others subject to the judge’s direction and control to do so." In 2019, Cobb County Superior Court Judge Robert E. Flournoy's staff attorney, Matt Freedman, gave a public review on Google to a Guardian Ad Litem, Brandi Daswani--the same Guardian Ad Litem appointed to the case that is the subject matter of this article. [https://g.co/kgs/BWKgse Matt Freedman gives Guardian Ad Litem 5-star review].</ref> the fact that none of the parties to that case even reside in Cobb County is a matter of severe public concern. | ||
The Cobb County taxpayers are funding the Cobb judiciary to handle matters that extend beyond its jurisdiction. And with what legal authority? In this case, it's merely because Judge Robert E. Flournoy III said so; and his successor to the bench, the Honorable Judge Sonja Brown, either (a) doesn’t understand the basic concepts of jurisdiction or (b) is simply deferring her decision on the matter to her staff without exercising proper independent judgment.<ref>[https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/images/4/4f/Order_Denying_Summary_Judgment_Ogundana.pdf ''Order Denying Motion for Summary Judgment'', Cobb County Superior Court, Case No. 20104957]</ref> Neither cause should be acceptable to The People of Cobb County. | The Cobb County taxpayers are funding the Cobb judiciary to handle matters that extend beyond its jurisdiction. And with what legal authority? In this case, it's merely because Judge Robert E. Flournoy III said so; and his successor to the bench, the Honorable Judge Sonja Brown, either (a) doesn’t understand the basic concepts of jurisdiction or (b) is simply deferring her decision on the matter to her staff without exercising proper independent judgment.<ref>[https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/images/4/4f/Order_Denying_Summary_Judgment_Ogundana.pdf ''Order Denying Motion for Summary Judgment'', Cobb County Superior Court, Case No. 20104957]</ref> Neither cause should be acceptable to The People of Cobb County. | ||
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==Where She Stands== | ==Where She Stands== | ||
Whether Cobb's latest member to the Superior Court family of judges has the strength to exercise independent judgment in the face of internal and political influences is yet to be determined. Though, it is fair to say that The People of Cobb County can't take solace with Judge Sonja Brown's selection of a staff attorney. | Whether Cobb's latest member to the Superior Court family of judges has the strength to exercise independent judgment in the face of internal and political influences is yet to be determined. Though, it is fair to say that The People of Cobb County can't take solace with Judge Sonja Brown's selection of a staff attorney. | ||
By [https://andyleewhite.com/ ''Andy Lee White''] | |||
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Coauthor of [https://andyleewhite.com/ '''Atlanta Pop in the '50s, '60s & '70s: The Magic of Bill Lowery'''] | |||
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July 8, 2023 | |||
=References= | =References= | ||
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