A South Georgia judge faces 10 misconduct charges related to yearslong case delays that he says are embarrassing.
Chatham County Probate Judge Thomas Bordeaux, a former state representative who chaired the house judiciary committee, said he can’t timely rule on some cases, in part due to limited support staff. He said he also likes to take his time ensuring cases are properly handled.
“I’m probably far too much of a stickler for trying to get it done right, instead of trying to get it done quickly,” Bordeaux said. “It’s not a matter of me not working hard. It’s not a matter of me being slack. It’s just a matter of not being able to get the workload done. And I’m embarrassed by that. I’m maddened by that.”
The Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission lodged formal charges against Bordeaux with the Georgia Supreme Court on Thursday, based on his handling of nine cases. In the worst instance of inaction, Bordeaux let a case languish without a ruling for more than seven years, the JQC said.
Credit: Courtesy
Credit: Courtesy
“Judge Bordeaux’s conduct … amounts to willful misconduct in office; a willful and persistent failure to perform the duties of office; and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice which brings the judicial office into disrepute,” JQC Director Courtney Veal said in the charges.
Bordeaux, 70, was warned by the JQC about his failure to move cases in February and April, the agency said.
He has been the probate judge in Chatham County since January 2017. In May, he beat a challenger in the nonpartisan election for his seat.
Before taking the bench, Bordeaux was a Savannah alderman. He served in the Georgia House of Representatives for 16 years before quitting state politics in 2006. He has been an attorney since 1979.
In 2021, Bordeaux faced criticism from some Savannah families and their lawyers, who claimed he was failing to rule on cases. At the time, Bordeaux blamed underfunding and the coronavirus pandemic.
On Monday, the judge said he managed after almost five years in office to convince county leaders to hire a staff attorney to help him. He said that position was recently vacated when the attorney found a higher-paying job.
Bordeaux said without a staff attorney, he’s left to “hear the case and research the law and draft and even type the orders.” He said he works nights and weekends, but can’t keep up.
Chatham County has around 300,000 residents. The probate court handles wills and estate matters, the appointment of guardians and conservators, and the issuing of marriage and weapons carry licenses, among other things.
“We have more and more cases every year, and I’m simply not able, under these circumstances, to issue my rulings any more quickly than I have,” Bordeaux said. “We’ve made tremendous progress from where this court was when I started. But I painfully admit that, in some instances, I have failed to comply with rules for getting orders out timely.”
Veal said in the charges that Bordeaux still hadn’t ruled in some of the cases he was warned about in February and April, including one from 2016 that he inherited when he took office. She said he took four and a half years to respond to an executor’s request for discovery in a case over a will, and that a conservator in a separate case is still waiting for Bordeaux to approve an account settlement filed in October 2020.
Bordeaux’s failure to fairly, promptly and efficiently dispose of cases is a violation of the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct, Veal said.
Bordeaux said the probate court was “a mess” when he took office, in part due to the prosecution of former clerk Kim Birge, who was accused of stealing about $1 million from funds deposited with the court. He said there’s been “tremendous rebuilding” in how the court handles cases, though he still needs more help.
“There are failings, and I wish they weren’t there,” he said. “A lot of it’s my own fault.”
The JQC is separately pursuing charges against Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shermela Williams, accusing her of yearslong delays and giving preferential treatment to a sorority sister. Williams denies the allegations.
In June, the state Supreme Court removed then-Douglas County Probate Judge Christina Peterson from office in response to 30 misconduct charges brought by the JQC. Peterson’s removal came days after she was arrested by Atlanta police and charged with battery and felony obstruction.
In August, the chief judge of Georgia’s Middle Judicial Circuit was suspended without pay for 30 days in response to allegations he made sexist and degrading remarks to lawyers and court staff, inappropriately touched women, tried to influence prosecutions and improperly assisted a charity’s fundraising efforts.
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