Amanda Williams (judge)

Last updated

Amanda Williams
Retired Superior Court Judge, Brunswick Circuit, Georgia
In office
1991–2011
Personal details
Born (1946-12-12) December 12, 1946 (age 75)
Albany, Georgia [1]
Spouse(s)James G. Williams
ChildrenNathalie, Frances, Susanne
Residence(s) St. Simons Island, Georgia
Alma mater University of Georgia
John Marshall Law School
OccupationLawyer
ProfessionLegal

Amanda F. Williams (born December 12, 1946) is a former Superior Court judge on the Brunswick Circuit in Georgia. Her treatment of defendants in drug court was the subject of a March 25, 2011, episode of This American Life . Following an ethics probe launched in November 2011, she announced her resignation from the judgeship in early 2012. [2]

Contents

Biography

Williams graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Georgia and a Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta, Georgia. She was admitted to the bar in 1977. [3]

Prior to being elected a judge, Williams was a law clerk for Superior Court Judge William R. Killian in 1978–79, an assistant district attorney for Brunswick Judicial Circuit in 1979–80, and a practicing attorney in Glynn County in 1980–90. [4] Williams was elected a Superior Court judge in 1990, taking the bench in 1991. [4] In November 2010 Williams competed against Mary Helen Moses in her most recent bid for re-election. [5] Williams won with 66.2% of the vote.

This American Life story

In March 2011, the radio program This American Life broadcast an episode titled "Very Tough Love" about various cases heard in Williams's drug court. The show described how Williams's judgments violated the philosophy of drug courts by using indefinite jail terms and an overly punitive approach. [6] [7] [8] This resulted in unfavorable reaction from other legal professionals, calls for her resignation or impeachment, and death threats. [6] [9] [10]

Criticism of Williams following the show included claims that at times she imposed indefinite stays in jail and other excessively punitive sentences contrary to principles supported by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. [11] [12] The Association supports the principle that "drug courts are designed to reduce drug use, reduce crime, repair families, hold addicts accountable and restore them to meaningful roles in society." [11]

After the story aired, Williams hired David G. Oedel, a law professor at Mercer University, who published an open letter to This American Life executive producer Ira Glass, claiming that the story was "riddled with falsehoods," and "libel masquerading as journalism." [13] Glass responded a week later, correcting website errors of which he was informed. However, Glass stood by the story's details, especially his characterization of defendants receiving inappropriately harsh treatment in Williams's courtroom. [14] In response to Oedel's threat to sue for defamation, the show's lawyers defended Glass and asserted that Williams's conduct "is certainly a matter of keen public interest". [15]

Williams defended her approach explaining, "there's some addiction in my family. My husband has been in recovery for over 15 years. And about the time I started looking to start a drug court about 1996, he had gotten into recovery. So we've lived it as a family. Because all the family members are touched by it." [16]

In February 2012, Long Island University announced that "Very Tough Love" won a 2011 George Polk Award for Radio Reporting. [17]

On February 22, 2012, the woman whose case prompted Glass to investigate and broadcast the episode was released from probation by Glynn County Magistrate Timothy Barton, who replaced Williams. He also purged two forgery convictions from her record as per the Georgia conditional discharge statute. When asked to comment, Barton stated, "I thought seven years was long enough." [18]

Ethics probe

On November 9, 2011, the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) filed a 14-count ethics complaint against Williams, alleging she had incarcerated defendants indefinitely, made false statements, and engaged in nepotism and "tyrannical partiality". [19] [20] The JQC appointed Leah Ward Sears to prosecute the ethics charges. Sears is a former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice who left the court in 2009. [21] A hearing was scheduled to be held in 2012 to determine whether and how Williams should be disciplined. [19] On November 16, 2011, one of five Superior Court judges in Williams's circuit district stated Judge Williams had stepped down from her drug court position and would stop hearing criminal cases until the investigation has been completed. [19] Williams continued to work on civil cases previously assigned to her but did not accept new case assignments. [19]

Resignation

Judge Williams sent a letter to Governor Nathan Deal in mid-December 2011, indicating her intention to step down from the bench effective January 2, 2012. [2] The JQC agreed to drop charges after Williams tendered her resignation. She also signed a consent order prohibiting her from seeking judicial office, effective immediately. [22] Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens appointed a special prosecutor to determine if Williams should face felony criminal charges for allegedly lying to JQC investigators. A conviction would result in forfeiture of an annual $74,000 state pension and disbarment. [23] [24]

Investigation

Fulton District Attorney Paul Howard was appointed special prosecutor, and there were no public statements until September 2012 when a spokesperson for Howard stated, "The case is still under investigation. There are no further updates to report at this time." [25] On June 3, 2015, a Fulton County grand jury indicted Williams on two counts, making false statements and violating her oath by making false statements. [26] Charges against Williams were dropped in May 2017 with the consent and consultation of Ms. Dills who was the person whose story of was told in "Very Tough Love" after a law was changed disallowing the practice of secretly recording a judge's statements. As such the actual tapes containing clearly false statements made by the judge became inadmissible evidence in court. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

A plea bargain is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or nolo contendere. This may mean that the defendant will plead guilty to a less serious charge, or to one of the several charges, in return for the dismissal of other charges; or it may mean that the defendant will plead guilty to the original criminal charge in return for a more lenient sentence.

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act U.S. law

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.

Brunswick, Georgia City in Georgia, United States

Brunswick is a city in and the county seat of Glynn County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As the primary urban and economic center of the lower southeast portion of Georgia, it is the second-largest urban area on the Georgia coastline after Savannah and contains the Brunswick Old Town Historic District. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population of the city proper was 15,210; the Brunswick metropolitan area's population as of 2020 was 113,495.

Mandatory sentencing requires that offenders serve a predefined term for certain crimes, commonly serious and violent offenses. Judges are bound by law; these sentences are produced through the legislature, not the judicial system. They are instituted to expedite the sentencing process and limit the possibility of irregularity of outcomes due to judicial discretion. Mandatory sentences are typically given to people who are convicted of certain serious and/or violent crimes, and require a prison sentence. Mandatory sentencing laws vary across nations; they are more prevalent in common law jurisdictions because civil law jurisdictions usually prescribe minimum and maximum sentences for every type of crime in explicit laws.

Michael Byron Nifong is an American former attorney and convicted criminal. He served as the district attorney for Durham County, North Carolina until he was removed, disbarred, and jailed following court findings concerning his conduct in the Duke lacrosse case, primarily his conspiring with the DNA lab director to withhold exculpatory DNA evidence that could have acquitted the defendants.

Glynn Academy Public school in Brunswick, Georgia, United States

Glynn Academy (GA) is an American public high school in Brunswick, Georgia, United States, enrolling 1,900 students in grades 9–12. Along with Brunswick High School, it is one of two high schools in the Glynn County School System. Glynn Academy offers technical, academic, and Advanced Placement programs and is accredited by the Georgia Department of Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school has consistently been ranked among the top public high schools in the United States by Newsweek.

Gerald "Jerry" Lawrence Shargel was an American defense attorney who was based in New York City and generally considered one of the best criminal defense lawyers in the country.

Cynthia Becker Mello is a former Georgia Superior Court Judge on the DeKalb Superior Court, Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit, from 2000 until March 1, 2015. She presided over several high-profile cases, including the criminal trial of former Sheriff Sidney Dorsey and the release of exonerated Clarence Harrison.

Andrew Thomas (American politician) American politician

Andrew Peyton Thomas is an American politician, author and former attorney. He was the county attorney for Maricopa County in Arizona from 2004 until April 6, 2010. During his term in office, he was known for his anti-illegal immigrant policies. On April 10, 2012, Thomas was disbarred by a disciplinary panel of the Arizona State Supreme Court for his actions as county attorney.

Amanda Knox American woman exonerated of a murder conviction in Italy

Amanda Marie Knox is an American author, activist, and journalist. She spent almost four years in an Italian prison following her wrongful conviction for the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, a fellow exchange student with whom she shared an apartment in Perugia. In 2015, Knox was definitively acquitted by the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation.

The Barry Bonds perjury case was a case of alleged perjury regarding use of anabolic steroids by former San Francisco Giants outfielder and all-time Major League Baseball career home run leader, Barry Bonds, and the related investigations surrounding these accusations. On April 13, 2011, Bonds was convicted of one felony count of obstruction of justice for giving an incomplete answer to a question in grand jury testimony. A mistrial was declared on the remaining three counts of perjury, and those charges were dropped. The obstruction of justice conviction was upheld by an appellate panel in 2013, but a larger panel of the appellate court overturned the conviction in 2015.

A probate court is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts or courts of ordinary. In some jurisdictions probate court functions are performed by a chancery court or another court of equity, or as a part or division of another court.

Donald Richard Moran, Jr. is a former lawyer and judge in the Fourth Judicial Circuit in Florida for 41 years, including 21 years as Chief Judge, the longest tenure in Florida history. He was an early advocate of diversion programs for people with substance abuse and directed hundreds of people into treatment rather than jail.

Ken Hodges American politician

Kenneth (Ken) B. Hodges III is a Judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals and the former District Attorney for Dougherty County, Georgia in the United States and was the Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Georgia in 2010. In 2015, Hodges started his own law firm, Ken Hodges Law, based out of Atlanta and Albany. Hodges won an open seat in a contested race on the Georgia Court of Appeals in 2018, earning nearly 70% of the state-wide vote.

The Glynn County mass murder was discovered on August 29, 2009, when eight dead bodies were found at the New Hope Mobile Home Park in Glynn County, Georgia, near Brunswick. There were also two people found injured, one of whom later died of injuries.

R. Seth Williams Former district attorney

Rufus Seth Williams is a former district attorney of the city of Philadelphia. He began his term January 4, 2010. He formerly served as an assistant district attorney. Williams was the first African-American district attorney in Philadelphia and in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. On March 21, 2017, Williams was indicted on 23 counts of bribery, extortion, and fraud. His trial began June 19, 2017. He resigned and pleaded guilty to one charge on June 29, 2017.

Michael T. Conahan is a convicted felon and former judge. He received a J.D. degree from Temple University and went on to serve from 1994-2007 as Judge on the Court of Common Pleas in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. During the last four years of his tenure, he was the President Judge of the county.

"Very Tough Love" is a radio documentary and an episode of This American Life (TAL), which originally aired on March 25, 2011. The segment described a drug court and program in Georgia that is conducted in a manner different from all other drug courts throughout the United States, and often contrary to drug court philosophy, according to standards set by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. Offenders with no prior criminal record or history of drug abuse or addiction charged with possession of small drug quantities would wind up under drug court control for five years or more. In most other jurisdictions, the same offenses would result in probation or a drug education class.

Murder of Ahmaud Arbery 2020 murder in Georgia, United States

On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man, was murdered during a racially motivated hate crime while jogging in Satilla Shores, a neighborhood near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia. Erroneously assuming he was a burglar, three white men pursued Arbery in their trucks for several minutes, using the vehicles to block his path as he tried to run away. Two of the men, Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory McMichael, were armed and in one vehicle. Their neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, was in another vehicle. After overtaking Arbery, Travis McMichael exited his truck and assaulted Arbery with a shotgun. As Arbery attempted to defend himself, Travis McMichael shot him three times, murdering him. Bryan recorded this confrontation and murder of Arbery on his cell phone.

References

  1. ↑ "Brunswick judge and Albany native to resign amid ethics probe". Albany Herald. December 19, 2011. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Rankin, Bill (December 20, 2011). "Brunswick judge facing charges to step down from bench". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  3. ↑ Judge Profile:Amanda F. Williams, Martindale.com, archived from the original on April 4, 2011, retrieved March 29, 2011
  4. 1 2 "Re-Elect Amanda Williams, Our Judge of Superior Court". Campaign to Re-Elect Amanda Williams. Archived from the original on June 27, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
  5. ↑ "11/2/2010 – Superior Court Judges". Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  6. 1 2 Dickson, Terry. "Glynn judge's bench now a hot seat". The Florida Times Union. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Very Tough Love". This American Life. March 25, 2011. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  8. ↑ "This American Life Episode 430" (PDF). This American Life. March 25, 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 8, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  9. ↑ McDonald, Robin. "Broadcast prompts threats and calls for judge's ouster". ALM Media Properties, LLC. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  10. ↑ Beavers, Mark (April 20, 2011). "Legal battle brewing over broadcast". Tribune & Georgian Online. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  11. 1 2 Hassinger, Mike (March 31, 2011). "Fly In The Drug Court Ointment". Peach Pundit. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  12. ↑ "What are Drug Courts?". National Association of Drug Court Professionals. Archived from the original on December 28, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  13. ↑ Oedel, David G. (April 8, 2011). "Open Letter to Ira Glass" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 20, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Ira responds to Judge Williams' press release". This American Life blog. April 15, 2011. Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  15. ↑ McDonald, R. Robin: "Judge accused of nepotism and abusing power from bench" Archived January 30, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Daily Business Review, November 14, 2011
  16. ↑ "This American Life Episode 430" (PDF). March 25, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Polk Press Release Feb 20 2012 - Long Island University". www.liu.edu. Archived from the original on February 23, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  18. ↑ Dickson, Terry: "Woman at heart of ethics case against former Glynn County judge released from probation" Archived March 21, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Florida Times-Union, February 29, 2012
  19. 1 2 3 4 Rankin, Bill (November 16, 2011). "Judge relinquishes cases amid ethics probe". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Notice of Formal Proceedings" (PDF). Judicial Qualifications Commission. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  21. ↑ McDonald, Robin: "'Tyrannical' judge to be prosecuted" Daily Report, December 24, 2011
  22. ↑ Dickson, Terry: "Judge Amanda Williams quitting before hearing on judicial misconduct charges" Archived January 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Florida Times-Union, December 21, 2011
  23. ↑ Stepzinski, Teresa: "Special prosecutor possible in the Brunswick judge misconduct case" Archived September 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Florida Times-Union, December 22, 2011
  24. ↑ Dickson, Terry: "Special prosecutor named in former Judge Amanda F. Williams misconduct case" Archived April 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Florida Times-Union, January 9, 2012
  25. ↑ Jones, Walter C. (September 28, 2012). "Investigation of former Judge Amanda Williams not done, special prosecutor says". Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Former Glynn County chief judge Amanda F. Williams indicted in Fulton County". The Florida Times Union . June 3, 2015. Archived from the original on July 8, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Charges dropped against 'tough love' judge Amanda Williams". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . May 16, 2017. Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.