Georgia Supreme Court orders reprimand for Athens judge who chastised bondsman

The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled Wednesday that Western Circuit Superior Court Judge Eric Norris does not have to make a public apology in court after he chastised an Athens bondsman for critical comments the bondsman posted on social media.

Instead, the high court ruled that a public apology or a censure was not an appropriate sanction, but that Norris should receive a public reprimand in court by a judge yet to be assigned the task.

Earlier this year, the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission ordered Norris to apologize personally to the bondsman in open court and that the apology be presented to the Athens Banner-Herald for possible publication.

The incident involving bondsman Nathan Owens occurred in July 2019. Norris had released a rape suspect on a personal recognizance bond and Owens sharply criticized that decision on his personal Facebook page and a larger Facebook page called “Overheard at UGA.”

Read More: Judge to rule on Athens Banner-Herald's effort to access UGA NIL records

More Courts News: Georgia Supreme Court overturns convictions against father in son's 2014 hot-car death

Related: Mistrial ordered for the second time in trial of Athens man charged with rape

Norris arranged a meeting with Owens on July 10 with two other bondsmen present. Norris, who was "visibly upset," raised his voice as he gave his opinion about the bondsman’s conduct, according to the court document.

The bondsman testified in a hearing that he felt his job was threatened by the judge's actions, the court document said.

Owens later filed a complaint against Norris with the Judicial Qualifications Commission, which investigates allegations of judicial misconduct.

The suspect in the rape case was initially tried in a jury trial presided over by Norris. That trial ended in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked at 11-1 with the majority voting to acquit. Due to the controversy that emerged, the case was transferred to Judge Lawton Stephens.

The defendant was later tried before Stephens and he was acquitted of the rape charge.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: GA Supreme Court orders reprimand for Athens judge, but no apology