We just received word that Monday’s unanimous IGOTD award recipient, Judge David Barrett, has decided to retire in the wake of the controversy he created by pulling his gun in open court and pretending to offer it to a witness. “In this case, a lapse of judgment in terms of the display of that gun has cost him a great deal, and it’s a sad thing,” said District Attorney Steve Langley according to gainesvilletimes.com. The jurist’s retirement is effective tomorrow which will short circuit an investigation by Georgia’s Judicial Qualifications Commission. We hope Judge Barrett enjoys the lower stress levels away from the bench and, perhaps, takes up the shooting sports. We hear they can be very therapeutic.  [h/t Matt in FL]

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14 COMMENTS

  2. Hopefully six months from now this idiot won’t be appointed to some high level bench where he might have real power.

  4. I’ll take the other side on this one, and say it’s a shame: Judges at the trial level often just get so sick of putting poor stupid people in jail, watching them defended by vastly over-worked public defenders and sole-practitioners. White collar crime? A team of skilled attorneys build a great record for appeal and the defendant, though crooked, eagerly follows his attorneys’ advice. One of my uncles (NJ trial and later appellate judge) often expressed the incredible frustration of putting dumb and poor people in jail for relative trivia, while frauds and embezzlement often escaped punishment do to the cost and complexity of the cases, the technical issues. I still recommend 515 P.2nd at 1 to those with Lexis or similar, as to judicial misconduct.

  5. Yeah, since he was only joking, no loss of gun rights, and since he’s retiring anyway, no job reprimand either.

    Win – win for everybody, huh?

    • actually, since he is a judge, under Bloomie’s logic, he is ok and one of the intellectual elites entitled to possess a weapon more so than us mere mortals. and I fail to understand the quip about a lack of a job reprimand – Eric Holder ring a bell?

    • What did you expect in a climate where a federal agency can engage in felonious behavior and no one so much as receives an enforced vacation?

  6. Alcee Hastings went from disgraced judge to member of Congress about 20 years ago. This could only be the beginning of his new career. I don’t think waving a gun around in the House would be advised.

  7. All would do well to withhold judgement about Judge David Barrett
    As all attorneys who had cases before him, find him very impartial
    and straightforward. Sure he made a mistake,but he had many years of
    good judical leadership. Talk to attonrneys who had cases before him,
    and then make a judgement

  8. I am a White County resident and am so happy that this horrible, mean man is off the bench. He is one of the good old boys that gives all judges a bad name. Now, maybe all of the complaints against him will be looked into and not swept under the rug like everything else is in our county. From our Sheriffs office to our wonderful District Atty. that wears jogging suits in court. I pray that this opens alot of the dirty little secrets of our justice system that we have to deal with. Thank you so much, Judge Judy wanna be. I hope you see your day in court!! It will be standing room only!!!

  9. There have been Audits of this Judicial Circuit and the numerous complaints. The people do have reason for their questions. There were personal favors that did effect the final outcome of cases. Mr. Barrett is just the one under “fire” at present. The “personal favors” run rampet throughout this circuit. The entire Enota Judicial Circuit is under question for “its” Interpretation of Law and its desire to support favoritism instead of justice. The Judicial Code of Ethics does not exist in this circuit with its Judges, District Attorneys, Public Defenders, or their staff. The “Good Ole Boy” system in place will soon be replaced with Ethical well educated persons that do have a knowledge on interpretation of the Georgia and Federal Laws.

  10. To Bob Gibby, I’ve known Barrett from practicing in the Enotah district for several decades. Barrett is and always has been bat-sht crazy with paranoia and delusional ideations. His primary function was to protect UCB officials who got caught breaking the law.

  11. just so everyone knows that sorry man has his own private practice now. I told you that we have a dirty good old boys system. He gets to have private practice and all his retirement benefits. I told you nothing would change. Shame on Governor Deal for allowing such behavior.

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