Judge Peggy H. Walker

Georgia Juvenile Court Judge Elected to Lead the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges

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Longtime Georgia Juvenile Court Judge Peggy H. Walker was elected to the Executive Committee of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) earlier this week at their 74th national conference in New York City. Spanning the next five years, Judge Walker will serve as NCJFCJ secretary, treasurer, president-elect, president and immediate past-president, respectively.  

Founded in 1937, the Reno-based NCJFCJ is the nation’s longest running judicial membership committee with a roster of nearly 2,000 judges and related professionals. The council aims to provide judges, courts and related agencies with the necessary knowledge and skills to improve the lives of families and children affected by the juvenile justice system and domestic violence. “The common thread among the NCJFCJ leadership is hard work and the courage to overcome adversity as we work to improve the lives of children and families,” said the newly elected Judge Walker.

An Interview with Fulton County Juvenile Court Judge Phillip Jackson

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Associate Judge Jackson sat down with Martha Turner of the Juvenile Justice Fund recently to talk about CSEC (Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children), adoption and the rehabilitative efforts of the court. Jackson is a graduate of Georgia State University’s Law School. He has been on the bench since June, 2009. Judge Jackson, you are a native Atlantan, and you’ve been in the courts here for many years –

“Twenty years.”

In that time, in 20 years, do you think the legal system has gotten better or worse? “In some ways it’s gotten better, and in some ways it’s gotten worse.

ABA Meets in Atlanta in February, Targets Juvenile Court Issues

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When the American Bar Association meets in Atlanta the hot topics will include restorative justice and alternatives to detention for kids.  The Midyear meeting runs February 9 – 14 at the Marriott Marquis. One event takes place at Frank McClarin High School in College Park, where judges and lawyers will talk to 300 high school students about fair and impartial courts. They’ll use the assault charge against MTV’s Teen Mom to launch the discussion. Sharon Hill of Georgia Appleseed and Judge Steve Teske from Clayton County Juvenile Court will talk about new initiatives to keep kids in school and out of court. The ABA will consider two resolutions related to at-risk kids.

Judge Steve Teske: A Perfect Storm, An Imperfect System Equals Injustice

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We moved to Clayton County, GA in 1974.  I was 14 years old.  I had lived in nine different cities from California to New York, and back to our southern roots when my father was transferred to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. My childhood took me many places.  I met a lot of kids of all physical, emotional, spiritual, and social shapes and sizes.  Benjamin Disraeli once said that “Travel teaches toleration.”  In hindsight I must agree with the former British Prime Minister.  My travels have introduced me to different religious beliefs, political and social thoughts, and people of all colors and cultural backgrounds.  My childhood friends were white, black, red, yellow, and brown.  They were Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Christian of all denominations, atheist, and agnostic.  They came from families of varying political persuasions from conservative to liberal, from Republican to Democrat to Independent, and with economic tastes from capitalism to socialism in varying degrees. 

My many childhood friends from coast to coast in a thirteen year time span expanded my understanding of diversity and taught me to be tolerant of those with different cultures and beliefs.  However, toleration, I have learned, is a double edge sword.  In the words of Edmund Burke, “Toleration is good for all, or it is good for none.”  The determinative question when the tolerant sword is cutting is “Which side of the sword is doing the cutting?”  Is it the cutting edge that promotes the acceptance of people regardless of their differing beliefs or the edge that promotes the acquiescence of conduct hurtful toward others?  The former is good for al l, the latter is good for none. This concept of toleration raises an interesting paradox when applied to the arrest of kids on school campuses.  I think we can all agree that there should be no toleration of student disruption of any kind.  I helped to raise three children. They are now adults and doing quite well.  All my kids attended public schools.

Cobb County Juvenile Court Move on Hold for Now

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A plan to relocate Juvenile Court operations in Cobb County to the Superior Courthouse is not likely to happen any time soon.  According to the Marietta Daily Journal, the county doesn’t have the $2.2 million needed to make the move. Juvenile Court is currently located in a renovated warehouse. It was scheduled to move to the 5th and 6th floors of the old courthouse building in Marietta next year.  The space will be available once construction is finished on the new Courthouse building. The Board of Commissioners will consider a special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) to fund the juvenile court move, along with other projects.  As MDJonline.com reports, they could decide next week whether to put it to the voters in March. Courthouse construction has been a hot issue for months in Cobb.  Last summer, a watchdog group called Jobs for Georgians called on the county to do background and security checks on 760 construction workers at the new court site.  As a result, the AJC reports two illegal immigrants were arrested, along with eight other workers who had outstanding warrants.

Fight Breaks Out in Juvenile Court

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If anyone needs proof that emotions run high in juvenile court, take a look at the video (below) from Augusta, released by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department. A fight erupted inside the courtroom on Wednesday afternoon, when an officer tried to put handcuffs on a teenage boy.  The teen resisted and tried to leave. The boy’s grandmother, identified as Dora Ward, rushed up and grabbed the officer around the neck.  According to an account in the August Chronicle, the officer was getting choked.  Another officer tackled the woman and pushed her to the floor. Ward and her grandson were both arrested for Obstruction of an Officer.  What made this situation particularly tense: Ward is the mother of Justin Elmore, who was shot and killed by two Richmond County deputies in 2008, after he tried to drive away from a traffic stop.  
Watch the incident on surveillance video, released Friday.

Judge Michael Key Targets Zero Tolerance, Legal Orphans, Crossover Cases and More on National Stage

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LaGrange—Judge Michael Key is a hometown boy, a son of  the cotton mill village where he played rhythm guitar in a rock-and-roll band on Saturday nights and went to a Southern Baptist Church on Sundays. He was headed off to Emory University’s law school before he ever met a lawyer. “Back then people just didn’t go from the mill village to being a lawyer,” he says. For 31 years, Key (LaGrange High School, class of ’68) has been back home practicing law. For 21 of those years, he’s also been a part-time juvenile court judge.

Babysitter Murder Case to Stay in Juvenile Court

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The 11 year old babysitter accused of killing a toddler in Sandy Springs will face charges in juvenile court, not adult court.  As expected, the Fulton County D.A.’s office made the only decision possible under Georgia Law.  The 11 year old is too young to be charged as an adult, despite public outrage over the death of 2 year old Zeyda White. The toddler somehow received a fatal blow to the head while in the care of the pre-teen babysitter last Saturday night. The youngster appeared in juvenile court Wednesday for an initial hearing and remains in Metro’s Youth Detention Center.  In general, juvenile court cases move through the system much faster than cases in adult court.   As the case unfolds, it will be heard by a juvenile court judge, not a jury.  The child will be represented by a defense attorney.  If found guilty, the child may be sent to a secure detention center for up to five years, with possible 12-month extensions at the discretion of the judge and the Department of Juvenile Justice, until the age of 21. Also reporting this story:

Myfoxatlanta.com

Examiner.com

D.A. Considers New Charges in Babysitter Murder Case

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An 11 year old girl remains in the Metro Youth Detention Center in Atlanta after a hearing Wednesday morning in juvenile court.  Police have charged the child with murdering 2-year old Zeyda White, who was left in her care on Saturday night. The D.A. has already decided not to try the babysitter as an adult, according to Lt. Steve Rose of the Sandy Springs Police Department.  He told the Examiner.com the D.A. will also decide whether to charge one or both parents, who left the toddler with the 11 year old babysitter. The Fulton County District Attorney issued this statement on Wednesday:
"Our office is awaiting a full report on this matter from the Sandy Springs Police Department. Upon receipt of that report, we will conduct our investigation and make a decision regarding the appropriate charges." Mom blogs across the nation are buzzing with concern.  Here are some comments from Momania:
"I don’t know who dropped the ball on this case.