Written By Dina Lawson // EEW Magazine Online

Douglas County Judge Christina Peterson was disbarred for numerous misconduct violations, a decision that came just days after an unrelated incident led to her arrest at the Red Martini Restaurant and Lounge on Peachtree Street in Atlanta.

In the early hours of a bustling Thursday morning in Atlanta, the vibrant nightlife of Buckhead was overshadowed by a contentious altercation involving Douglas County Probate Judge Christina J. Peterson. Amid the pulsating beats of the Red Martini Restaurant and Lounge, a scene unfolded that would ripple through Georgia's legal community.

Judge Peterson, 38, caught in an incident filled with prayer and protest, was arrested after she allegedly struck a police officer and later refused to give her name.

An off-duty officer working security went to investigate after hearing a commotion and saw security escorting a woman out of the club, police said in a statement.

As the officer tried to help deescalate the situation, Peterson came over and immediately began screaming at a security guard and the officer, police said. She repeatedly swiped the officer’s hands away as he tried to assist the woman being escorted out and pushed the officer in the chest twice, police said.

Christina Peterson was placed into a police car following the incident outside the Red Martini Restaurant and Lounge, and was seen hurling insults at the arresting officer and refusing to cooperate (City of Atlanta Police Department)

Captured vividly on police body cameras, the footage shows Peterson, in a state of distress, shoving the officer, while mixing profane exclamations with fervent prayers.

While handcuffed in the car, the inebriated detainee exclaimed, “He is a woman abuser, Lord. He abused that woman outside.” She then pleaded, “I ask that you forgive him, Lord. Put it in his heart and spirit. I pray that You let him live."

Before her prayer, Peterson warned the officer, “The last person that ever tried me like this died within thirty days. I pray for you.”

The arrest, which saw Peterson charged with felony obstruction of law enforcement and simple battery, was not an isolated episode but rather a public culmination of previously documented issues. The Georgia Supreme Court ultimately removed Peterson, not directly because of this incident, but due to a well-established pattern of misconduct.

The high court noted that the Judicial Qualifications Commission—the state’s judicial watchdog agency—found that Peterson “exhibited a pattern of judicial misconduct while in office.”

Peterson was sworn in as probate judge in December 2020, after winning a contested Democratic primary that year and running unopposed in the November general election. She lost the Democratic primary last month in her bid for reelection.

Less than a year into her four-year term, in September 2021, the Judicial Qualifications Commission filed formal charges against her, alleging violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct. The agency amended the charges in February 2022 and again in July 2022, bringing the total to 50 counts of alleged misconduct.

Twenty counts were dismissed before and during a final hearing, leaving an agency panel to address 30 counts.

The hearing panel issued a report in March, finding clear and convincing evidence to support 28 of the counts, authorizing discipline for 20. It concluded that Peterson should be removed from office.

Peterson, the first African American female Democratic judge in her district, testified during her 2020 hearings about feeling underappreciated in her role, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. "I was never celebrated or congratulated," she lamented. Despite her pleas, the Judicial Qualifications Commission highlighted her "systemic incompetence," recommending her removal after finding her guilty of numerous counts of misconduct.

These allegations encompassed a disregard for courthouse rules, misuse of judicial resources, and inappropriate conduct on social media. A grave accusation centered on Peterson's handling of PJ Skelton's case—a naturalized U.S. citizen and Thai immigrant seeking to correct her marriage certificate. Accusing Skelton of fraud and charging her with contempt, Peterson issued a harsh ultimatum: 20 days in jail or a $500 fine to reduce the sentence to two hours. Skelton spent 48 hours in jail, and her husband ultimately paid the fine.

*PJ Skelton was jailed while attempting to update her marriage certificate to include the name of her recently discovered biological father. (Credit: Fox 5 Atlanta)*

Further findings by the commission revealed that Peterson had granted unauthorized courthouse access after hours and had exploited law enforcement resources for personal use. These actions portrayed a disregard for the judiciary's integrity and impartiality, reinforcing the commission’s decision.

The Supreme Court opinion notes the hearing panel also found that Peterson “engaged in hostile exchanges” with people at a meeting of her homeowners association while she had an active lawsuit pending against the association. Peterson also gave false testimony before the hearing panel, the opinion says.

The high court conclude that her “multiple violations” of judicial rules — some of which reflected a “flagrant disregard for the law, court rules, and judicial conduct rules” — as well as a “pattern of violations,” some of them “extremely concerning,” made removal from the bench appropriate.

The legal and local communities remain divided over Peterson's actions and the subsequent legal outcomes. Her attorney, Marvin Arrington Jr., defended her as a Good Samaritan whose actions during the nightclub incident were misunderstood. He emphasized her protective instincts and argued vehemently for her character.

At a news conference Friday, two women, who said they were there, told reporters Peterson was the only one trying to help one of the women as she was being attacked by a man outside the club and that Peterson didn’t mean to hit an officer. Peterson’s attorney, Marvin Arrington Jr., said police officers may have been confused “in the heat of the moment.”

Despite the controversy surrounding that night, it was Peterson’s prior professional conduct that ultimately dictated her removal. While this case has spurred a broader discussion on judicial accountability and the pressures facing those in the judiciary, the Georgia Supreme Court's ruling underscores a firm commitment to uphold judicial integrity and enforce the standards expected of those in positions of legal authority.

On social media, Peterson, who is not taking the punitive ruling lying down, posted this Scripture in her own defense: “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: When I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me” (Micah 7:8).

See the body cam footage below.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Correction: An earlier version of this article said Judge Christina Peterson had been disbarred, when she has not. Peterson has been removed from office and barred from serving in her role for the next 7 years.