Judge Kathryn Schrader, Gwinnett County Superior Court (Photo: John Disney/ALM)

Georgia's judicial watchdog agency has suspended a Gwinnett County judge who was indicted last month on computer trespass charges.

The Judicial Qualification Commission's three-person hearing panel suspended Superior Court Judge Kathryn Schrader on Tuesday, citing the indictment and a commission rule requiring the suspension of any indicted judge if the indictment is related to or would adversely affect their ability to do their job.

"Judge Schrader has the utmost respect for the JQC and understands its decision for temporary suspension until a jury has the opportunity to hear all the facts and circumstances that support her plea of not guilty," Schrader defense attorney B.J. Bernstein said.

Members of the panel include Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Robert McBurney, Jamala McFadden of Atlanta's McFadden Davis and Cobb County Police Chief Michael Register.

Schrader's indictment arises from allegations that the judge privately hired three outside parties, one a convicted child molester, and gave them access to the Gwinnett court computer system without informing or consulting her fellow judges, court personnel or county officials.

The judge is currently free on her own recognizance.

The grand jury also indicted the three men Schrader hired: private investigator T.J. Ward and two computer specialists: Frank Karin and Ed Kramer, the co-founder of Dragon Con and a convicted child molester. The judge and her three co-defendants have pleaded not guilty.

The JQC panel said Schrader's actions "allegedly enabled a convicted child molester to have access to court data." Kramer is on probation stemming from his 2013 no contest plea to three counts of child molestation. A Gwinnett judge ordered Kramer held without bond after he was charged with criminal trespass.

Schrader is suspended until the charges are resolved or her current judicial term expires next year.

Schrader stopped hearing criminal cases last March after Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter called in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation over a possible breach of the court computer system. Court papers filed in the criminal trespass case contend that Schrader suspected Porter of gaining unauthorized access to her computer and hired Ward, Karin and Kramer to find out.

Porter recused from prosecuting Schrader and her co-defendants on the trespass charges. But last week, Porter secured another indictment of Kramer, accusing him of sexually exploiting children through the possession of child pornography. The indictment is based on a copyrighted photograph retrieved from Kramer's computer. "Popsicle Drips 1985" by artist photographer Sally Mann depicts her prepubescent son's torso, including his groin, streaked with popsicle juice. The photo has been included in public art exhibitions, a published book of Mann's photographs and is widely available on the internet.

Kramer defense lawyer Stephen Reba last week moved to disqualify Porter from continuing to prosecute the case.