Fourteen Incidents

The Georgia Supreme Court ordered a 30-day suspension without pay  of a Superior Court judge for a series of incidents that violated rules of judicial behavior

As summarized by the Hearing Panel, the counts that Judge Reeves admitted pursuant to the Consent Agreement

describe[d] fourteen incidents spanning seven years of [Judge] Reeves’s seventeen years of service as a Superior Court judge. Most of these episodes involved [Judge] Reeves’s use of coarse, insensitive, demeaning, and/or insulting language, particularly with women. One involved a series of minor but nonetheless unwanted physical contacts between [Judge] Reeves and a female lawyer. The remaining incidents consisted of [Judge] Reeves improperly seeking to influence the handling of criminal prosecutions and misusing his title and office to assist the fundraising efforts of a local charity.

The Hearing Panel found that Judge Reeves’s admissions pursuant to the Consent Agreement proved by clear and convincing evidence that Judge Reeves committed the charged acts.

Sanction

this Court now accepts the Consent Agreement with Judge Reeves approved by the Hearing Panel and filed with this Court on July 18, 2024. We order that Judge Reeves be suspended without pay for 30 days, during which time he shall remain away from the various courthouses of his Judicial Circuit.

TVG News reported

A Superior Court Judge from the Middle Judicial Circuit has been suspended for thirty days without pay and received a public reprimand to resolve a case about his behavior inside and outside of the courtroom. The state’s high court also required in the order that the judge not seek re-election at the end of his term, which concludes on December 31, 2026.,

A 58-count complaint was filed against Superior Court Judge Robert “Bobby” Reeves with the Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) in 2022 over allegations of improper temperament and comments on the bench, improper comments demonstrating bias and prejudice, improper contact with court personnel, and ethical violations surrounding the fundraising and support for a victim assistance entity in the judicial circuit.

Specifically, the complaint contended that Reeves:

• Appeared in a promotion video for the Sunshine House, in which was identified as “Judge Bobby Reeves, Superior Court Judge” and made statements including:
  • “The Sunshine House makes a huge difference in affecting justice in our area because it does help immensely with the prosecution of those who have molested and abused children.”
  • “It does help in getting people prosecuted. It does help in getting people convicted when they abuse children.”
• Cohosted the Sunshine House’s Facebook ‘Give-A-Thon’ Fundraiser, which
  • was identified throughout the two hour fundraiser as ‘Judge Reeves,’
  • Urged viewers to donate
  • Made a $500 donation and challenged “every other judge and lawyer out there to at least match that donation.”
  • Stated “I told y’all some names to call. Call those judges in every county to get them on board. They all know how important the Sunshine House is…”
  • discussed the important of the Sunshine House’s work in prosecuting cases with the DA’s office
• 2019 (Toombs): During a criminal proceeding where a defendant had a name similar to the word ‘innocence,’ Judge Reeves called the defendant’s name and stated words to the effect of, “I guess the name didn’t take.”
• 2020/2021 (Jefferson): Judge Reeves made comments about another Superior Court Judge being too lenient and stated that he would have to “double up” (or words to that effect) on his sentencing to make up the difference. Reeves also stated that he would have to ‘do what he could to make sure that same Superior Court Judge was not assigned important cases.’
• 2021 (Toombs): When asking court attendees to remain seated until he finished his instructions, ‘an African-American male started to leave the courtroom.’ Judge Reeves then stated to the male, “[s]ir you’re walking and I’m telling you to be still. Are you really that retarded?” This occurred in open court with members of the public, lawyers, and court staff present.
• 2021 (Emanuel): When passing an Investigator with the Public Defender’s Office and the mother of a son with a pending case, Judge Reeves said to the woman, “I don’t know why you are talking to him [Investigator] about drugs. He’s the biggest drug dealer in Emanuel County.”
• 2022 (Toombs): In open court, a jailer asked Judge Reeves when the court would recess for lunch. Judge Reeves responded with words to the effect of “[g]et the people [inmates] fed? You mean we have to feed these people [inmates]?”
• 2022: During court proceedings, Judge Reeves repeatedly admonished a public defender for not having paperwork prepared properly. This occurred while the PD’s office was experiencing ‘extreme staffing shortages.’ The level of rebuke reached a point where the female public defender left the courthouse crying. After she left, Reeves remarked in open court, “if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
• Subjected four individuals to Reeves’ comments from 2016 to 2022. The charging document stated the pattern of improper behavior, at a minimum, “gave the appearance of constituting sexual harassment and/or bias based upon the gender of various females involved in the middle Judicial Circuit court system.”

Reeves, who serves as the Chief Judge in Emanuel, Candler, Jefferson, Toombs, and Washington counties, initially denied all of the allegations, despite supporting evidence for a number of the claims existing in photographic and video form. 

From TVG News's details on the allegations

J.C. – An employee of the Public Defender’s Office was whistled at while walking down a one-way street. Reeves stated words to the effect of, “[w]hat’s a pretty girl like you doing walking alone?” The woman is routinely called “Miss America” by Judge Reeves and he regularly “touches J.C.’s shoulders, rubs her back, and attempts to hug her, and does so in a manner that often makes her uncomfortable.” The document says Reeves has, on multiple occasions, told J.C. he will sign documents presented to him if she smiles. J.C. began taking an PD office investigator with her to have documents signed, prompting Reeves to remark that she was ‘a big girl’ and did not need the investigator to accompany her. Members of the court system joke, the document alleges, that if documents are not signed by Reeves, they should have had them taken by J.C.

M.B. – In June 2022, in the Emanuel Courthouse parking lot, Reeves told the woman “You have really nice legs!” The woman and Reeves had only interacted on two occasions previously.

C.P. – During a virtual meeting with the Jefferson County drug court staff in 2020, Reeves commented that he expected women to wear bathrobes and bathing suits during virtual hearings. The document also says C.P., from 2015 to 2020, witnessed Reeves inappropriately comment on the dress and appearance of other female attorneys, made comments about C.P. keeping in shape, and made negative comments about another ADA taking maternity leave.

(Mike Frisch)