ATLANTA - The Georgia Court of Appeals has ordered new trials for five men in Fayette County because of an affair their trial judge was having with the public defender who represented them.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday that the decision is based on revelations in 2010 that chief Superior Court judge Paschal English was having an affair with public defender Kimberly Cornwell while he heard the men's trials.
English resigned from his position during an investigation by the Judicial Qualifications Committee and Cornwell is no longer working in the public defender's office.
The men preparing for new trials have been accused of a variety of crimes including armed robbery, kidnapping, aggravated assault, sexual battery, and drug offenses.