The Path Ahead
The JQC is expected to continue weighing the evidence and determine whether Judge Bordeaux should be disciplined or removed. He has offered to accept a public reprimand, but that is woefully inadequate. Public trust in the judiciary demands more.
In my view, the oversight committee needs to fire him and remove him from the bench. Anything less rewards a culture of complacency that harms real people. The judicial system depends on accountability, and without it, justice becomes a hollow promise.
As someone who has spent decades inside the legal system, I can say this with certainty: we cannot afford to tolerate judges who treat rulings as optional. The damage is too great, the stakes too high, and the people of Georgia deserve better.
Under Georgia’s Constitution, the JQC has the authority to discipline, suspend, or remove judges for “willful misconduct” or “conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.” The threshold is not proof of a crime but rather clear and convincing evidence of ethical failure. Here, Bordeaux has admitted to years of delays — and litigants have testified to the consequences. The procedural posture is that of a formal disciplinary inquiry, not a criminal case, meaning the panel’s decision will hinge on whether his pattern of delay rises to a level that justifies removal.
The Judicial Qualifications Commission is represented by prosecutor Courtney Veal, while Judge Bordeaux is defended by S. Lester Tate III of Akin & Tate PC and W. Matthew Wilson of Bell Wilson Law LLC.
The matter is proceeding under In re: Inquiry Concerning Judge Thomas C. Bordeaux Jr., case number 2023-1082, before the hearing panel of the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission.
Sources:
JQC Complaint No. 2025-081: Formal Charges
JQC Complaint No. 2025-081: Answer to Formal Charges
JQC Complaint No. 2025-081: Joint List of Stipulated Facts and Admissions
