Judge Gerald Johnson has been on a life-changing journey for the last 15 months. He endured a terrible incident and was forced to face his own demons, and he detailed his battles with those issues in a very public forum.
He lost his position and had to humble himself to ask for it back. But the Judicial Qualifications Commission panel has recommended that he not return to his position.
Halfway through the hearing in November, the panel led by Judge Robert McBurney offered Johnson a potential settlement before entering their opinion. They offered both sides a scenario where Johnson would be suspended without pay until 2024, when he could once again run for his seat on the bench.
That would have given the JQC prosecutors a sense of justice, while still preserving Johnson’s chances to serve again. But his attorneys said no and continued their push for reinstatement.
That possibly now seems remote, and if the Georgia Supreme Court removes Johnson from the bench officially, he will not be able to run again for seven years.
On the election cycle for his seat, it’s actually 2032 before he could run for the seat again.
After being paid by taxpayers for more than a year while suspended – to the tune of $112,947.53 if he is still not removed by Jan. 15 – it is possible the deal offered him at that hearing was his best chance to return.
He might also have won points from the citizens he has served both in law enforcement and as a judge if he stepped down a while ago on his own.
He believed that his astonishing progress dealing with alcoholism and healing of himself and his family would convince the JQC that he could serve once again, but the prosecutors would not let go of the domestic violence incident that started this in the first place.
They maintained that he should have been arrested that night and that almost any other person would have been under the same circumstances. They argued that his objectivity facing those who would come before the chief magistrate would be affected by his personal experiences.
We’ve said it before, but Johnson has earned the community’s respect as a man. But it is hard to see the road ending with him back on the bench.
He should step down and end his long suspension at the expense of the taxpayers and allow someone to fill his shoes.