Judge Shermela J. Williams, Superior Court of Fulton County. Courtesy photoDiscovery Dispute: Investigated Judge Boxed Out by Work Product Doctrine
A superior court judge at the center of an ongoing misconduct probe has lost a discovery dispute about whether the work product doctrine applies to cases launched by the Judicial Qualifications Commission of Georgia.
November 27, 2024 at 02:14 PM
8 minute read
What You Need to Know
- Judicial Qualifications Commission of Georgia director leverages Work Product Doctrine to withhold memos from investigated jurist.
- Counsel for Atlanta Judicial Circuit Judge Shermela Williams contend doctrine does not apply to JQC proceedings.
- Citing prior decisions to exempt 'nearly identical materials' from disclosure before siding, JQC Hearing Panel grants Director Courtney Veal's withholding request.
A superior court judge at the center of an ongoing misconduct probe has lost a discovery dispute about whether the work product doctrine applies to cases launched by the Judicial Qualifications Commission of Georgia.
Counsel for Atlanta Judicial Circuit Judge Shermela Williams challenged JQC Director Courtney Veal's application of the doctrine to withhold a pair of memos prepared for the JQC Investigative Panel from the respondent. However, the JQC Hearing Panel granted Veal's withholding request after citing prior decisions to exempt "nearly identical materials."
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