Chief Judge James G. Blanchard Jr. had a unique and unpleasant duty Monday to fulfill, formally issuing a public reprimand to a fellow chief judge.
Blanchard of the Columbia County Judicial Circuit Superior Court was asked to issue the reprimand imposed by the Georgia Supreme Court on Chief Judge Eric Norris of the Western Judicial Circuit.
Norris has been the chief judge of the Western Judicial Circuit, which is composed of Oconee and Clarke counties, since 2018.
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The punishment was issued after Norris used his position as a judge to berate a local bondsman for 30 minutes while an armed deputy stood at the office door. In 2019 after a rape suspect failed to appear for trial, a bondsman expressed on Facebook his opinion of Norris’ decision to allow the rape suspect to be released on his own recognizance after his first trial ended in a mistrial.
“Ultimately, you went on for about 30 minutes, chastising, threatening, and intimidating (bondsman Nathan Owens), implying that he did not have ‘good moral character,’ insinuating that you had the power to affect his livelihood as a bondsman, and reprimanding him for attacking you online and spreading ‘fake news’ about the rape case,” reads part of Blanchard order that he read in an open court proceeding Monday, July 25.
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Norris’s conduct represents a failure to act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the judiciary and demonstrates a failure to be patient, dignified and courteous as the Judicial Rules of Conduct requires.
“The public expects, and the Code of Judicial Conduct demands, that judges be held to a high standard of ethical conduct in discharging the responsibilities and duties of a judge,” Blanchard read from the order. Any repetition of such conduct can result in the severest possible punishment, the order continues.
Norris was appointed to the Superior Court bench in 2016. In addition to his legal career, he served in the Georgia Army National Guard, according to the Clarke County government’s website.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
