Embattled Georgia Superior Court Judge Amanda Williams is facing new charges of favoritism. Williams formerly oversaw the state’s largest drug court.
On Monday, the state Judicial Qualifications Commission filed charges accusing the judge for allowing a man charged with cruelty to children and battery to improperly enter the drug court program despite not being charged with any drug-related offenses, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The defendant is the nephew of Brunswick, Ga., attorney Jim Bishop who Williams, according to court documents, said has “been there for me for years and years.” Williams is quoted in court documents as saying Bishop's nephew, Henry Bishop III, would lose his state insurance license if he was not diverted into the drug court program.
In November, Williams was charged by the Judicial Qualifications Commission with a dozen ethics violations relating to her time as head of the Glynn County, Ga., drug court program. She is accused of detaining defendants indefinitely and denying them access to their attorneys and family as well as making false statements and engaging in nepotism.
Williams relinquished control of the drug court following the initial charges. She also agreed to no longer preside over any criminal cases while her case is pending.