A Catoosa County, Ga., judge who admitted to using marijuana and insulting local officials on television is unfit to serve on the bench, the state agency that investigates judges has decided.
After months of investigation and a rare two-day trial, the Judicial Qualifications Commission recommended in a report released Tuesday that Magistrate Anthony Peters be removed from his position and be barred from ever seeking a judicial office in the state.
“The testimony at the hearing revealed that Peters’ erratic and irrational behavior eroded confidence in his ability to be a judge,” the commission’s report stated.
Peters, who was appointed as a magistrate in 1997, was charged in February with 13 counts of judicial misconduct. The charges, which include pointing a gun at his own head in another judge’s office and abusing his authority, stemmed from incidents that occurred between 2008 and 2010.
Just minutes after learning about the commission’s decision on Tuesday, Peters said he hoped the Georgia Supreme Court would see his side.