Difference between revisions of "Political Adversaries Cut From the Same Cloth"

Judge Grant Brantley served as Cobb County Superior Court judge from 1980 to 1992. "He didn't seek reelection in 1992 because he was in the process of being nominated to the U.S. District Court by President George H. W. Bush. But the '92 election spoiled his call-up to the federal bench."<ref>[https://www.yahoo.com/video/portrait-unveiled-colleagues-honor-cobb-223900910.html Portrait unveiled as colleagues honor Cobb Judge Brantley]</ref> Judge Brantley was appointed as a Cobb County Superior Court Senior Judge in 2007.<ref>Part-time '''Senior Judges''' in the State of Georgia are paid by the State a '''daily''' rate “in the amount of the annual state salary of a judge of the applicable court, divided by 235.” O.C.G.A. § 15-1-9.2 (2022). So, based on the $200,000 estimated Cobb County annual salary for elected judges, a Senior Judge presiding in Cobb County makes about $850 per day. These Senior Judges obtain their respective working days by having cases assigned to them by full-time judges. '''Mediator''' assignments are also court appointed roles that Senior Judges receive from full-time judges. And, when a Senior Judge serves as a mediator, he or she makes their money at a premium hourly rate, usually between $150 and $350 per hour. [https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/index.php?title=Fulton_Judiciary_Weaponizes_Project_ORCA#Part-Time_.28Daily_Pay_Rate.29_Senior_Judges Fulton Judiciary Weaponizes Project ORCA, ''Follow the Money'']</ref> Unlike full-time elected judges, Senior Judges are appointed to their roles without scrutiny and are not subject to election or reelection by voters.<ref>''See'' O.C.G.A. § 15-1-9.2(a.2)</ref>

In March of 2023, a petition to recuse the entire Fulton County Superior Court bench was filed after multiple judges refused to recuse liberal Judge, Melynee Leftridge,<ref>[https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/index.php/Georgia_Ethics_Code_Does_Not_Apply_To_Fulton_Judges Georgia Ethics Code Does Not Apply To Fulton Judges]. Jill Nolin, ''Georgia Recorder'', [https://georgiarecorder.com/2022/08/18/superior-court-judge-puts-echols-democratic-psc-challenger-back-on-november-ballot/ Superior court judge puts Echols’ Democratic PSC challenger back on November ballot]</ref> in a case where Leftridge and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department trampled on the Constitutional rights of a civil litigant and his family.<ref>[https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/index.php/Fulton_Sheriff_wrongfully_evicts_Mother_and_children Fulton Sheriff wrongfully evicts Mother and children]</ref> While the Fulton County Superior Court did not formally recuse its bench, no Fulton County judge has presided over the case since. Rather, Fulton County recruited two Cobb County Senior Judges, the Honorable G. Grant Brantley and the Honorable Adele P. Grubbs, allegedly to assist in managing the Fulton County Superior Court backlog of cases. While both Grubbs and Brantley appear to be closing cases at a rapid pace, they are doing so with the integrity of a coin flip.<ref>Navigating Justice, thewikilaw.org, [https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/index.php?title=Fulton_Judiciary_Weaponizes_Project_ORCA ''Fulton Judiciary Weaponizes Project ORCA'']</ref>

While Justice Leah Ward Sears won her 2004 re-election against Brantley, she resigned from the Georgia Supreme Court bench in 2009.<ref>[https://www.gasupreme.us/court-information/history/ CHIEF JUSTICES AND JUSTICES, 1845 – Present]</ref> Since then she has worked various jobs, for various organizations and in different capacities.<ref>[https://www.sgrlaw.com/attorneys/sears-leah-ward/ SGR, Leah Ward Sears, ''Full Bio'']</ref> In 2021, Sears served as chair of Warnock and Ossoff’s Federal Nominations Advisory Commission alongside Allegra Lawrence Hardy, who previously served as the chair of '''Stacey Abrams’''' gubernatorial campaign.<ref>''The Atlanta Journal Constitution'', [https://www.ajc.com/politics/group-advising-ossoff-warnock-on-federal-appointments-includes-civil-rights-activists/FGHWHJU4TVCZ7AZSCNSYIZYH4Q/ Group advising Ossoff, Warnock on federal appointments includes civil rights activists]</ref> In December of 2021, Sears was selected by the Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) as outside-independent counsel for Chuck Boring, the JQC director at the time, to serve in his capacity as director over a JQC complaint against Cobb County Superior Court Judge, Rob Leonard II (a complaint from which Boring recused himself). When the JQC learned that [https://mcmasterforcobb.com/ Matt McMaster] was challenging Leonard in the May 2022 election, Sears rapidly dismissed the JQC complaint against Leonard. Charles Ford entered the challenge for Judge Leonard’s seat just weeks later.<ref>[https://www.law.com/dailyreportonline/2022/03/18/chief-judge-robert-d-leonard-ii-draws-2-challengers-in-primary-election-charles-e-ford-and-matt-d-mcmaster/ Chief Judge Robert D. Leonard II Draws 2 Challengers in Primary Election: Charles E. Ford and Matt D. McMaster]</ref>