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and has since attended several meetings with the Commission’s investigative panel to answer to the allegations. After several months of these investigations, the panel proposed a disciplinary resolution of suspending Reeves from work for a month without pay to the Commission’s hearing panel, on the basis that Reeves had admitted guilt of 33 charges. The Hearing Panel accepted this resolution, but added an additional public reprimand to the agreement.
During the public reprimand, Judge Hughes read a statement regarding the case, which explained that Reeves had admitted to or had admitted that evidence exists that could prove his culpability of 33 charges brought against him. Hughes shared that these charges were from 14 incidents throughout 7 years of Reeves’ 17-year tenure – most of which involved “use of coarse, insensitive, demeaning and/ or insulting language, particularly with women who work in the court system.” Other incidents included “a series of minor but nonetheless unwanted physical contacts between [Reeves] and a female court system employee” and “improperly seeking to influence the handling of criminal prosecutions and misusing [his] title and office to assist the fundraising efforts of a local advocacy center.”
Judge Hughes stated that the JQC found these actions to be in violation of the Code of Judicial Contact, which led them to suspend Reeves for 30 days without pay and publicly reprimand him through the hearing at the courthouse and through publication in Reeves’ courts’ legal organs and the Fulton County Daily Report. As part of the agreement, Reeves agreed not to run for re-election after his term ended on December 31, 2026, and cannot oversee any cases involving lawyers who were involved in the JQC complaints.
“Finally, the Supreme Court noted in its opinion that the Hearing Panel found that your offenses were ‘not mean-spirited or self-serving’ and that you had taken a ‘refreshing and honest approach to the investigative process,’” Judge Hughes added.
Prior to adjournment, he encouraged Reeves to avoid violating the Judicial Code further, as he said that such violation would bring severe punishment from the JQC.
