Drug Court Judge Amanda F. Williams Quits over Judicial Misconduct Charges

Drug Court participants can breath a sigh of relief now that mean and cruel Judge Amanda F. Williams has quit over numerous allegations. This shows how Drug Courts abuse their power. She was the wicked witch of the Drug Courts.
She drove Lindsey Dills to attempt suicide in jail.

Judge Amanda F. Williams

Linddsey Dills was one of her Drug Court victims. An unbelievable story of abuse.

http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2012-03-01/story/new-life-woman-middle-former-glynn-judges-ethics-case

Very Tough Love article goes into great detail about the living hell she created for Lindsey Dills and other Drug Court participants.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/430/very-tough-love

Judge Amanda Williams quitting before hearing on judicial misconduct charges
January 10, 2012 – 7:51am

Amanda F. Williams is accused of judicial misconduct.

By Terry Dickson
BRUNSWICK – Chief Superior Court Judge Amanda F. Williams, who once sentenced a man to two weeks in jail for challenging a drug test, will leave office Jan. 2 just nine days before a deadline to answer numerous charges of judicial misconduct, including tyrannical behavior.

Williams, 64, advised Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal of her intent to resign after 21 years on the bench.

In return for the Judicial Qualifications Commission dropping charges against her, Williams agreed not seek another judicial office or senior judge status.

That prohibition is immediate and permanent, the consent order says.

By virtue of his seniority, Superior Court Judge E.M. Wilkes III will replace Williams as chief judge of the five-county Brunswick Judicial Circuit.

The charges against Williams included that she lied to investigators, a crime under Georgia law.

If Williams had not resigned, the commission would have conducted a hearing on all 14 counts and could have sought her removal from the bench.

Last week, the commission amended its Nov. 9 complaint in which it accused her of tyrannical behavior, especially in running her drug court, the state’s largest.

Williams had imposed indefinite jail terms on drug court defendants, deprived some of contact with their lawyers and jailed one man 14 days for questioning a positive drug test, which the commission said he had the absolute right to do without fear of reprisal.

The commission also accused her of giving favorable treatment to the family members of friends and those of high social standing by admitting them into drug court although they did not qualify.

snip

The commission complaint also accused Williams of nepotism for allowing family members to practice before her. In one case, Williams warned parties they would be subject to contempt should they fail to pay a $1,000 fee to her daughter, Frances Dyal, within 30 days. Dyal was acting as a court-appointed guardian in the case and in others that were before Williams.

Other charges include:

– Ordering that drug court defendant Lindsey Dills be held in solitary confinement with no mail, phones calls and no visitors except her drug counselor. While Dills was in jail, she attempted suicide.

– Ordering drug court defendants held indefinitely without a hearing.

– Sending defendant Lisa Branch to Bridges of Hope, a remote residential drug treatment center between Waycross and Homerville, with orders Branch have contact with no one but her drug counselor for a year. The commission said Williams’ action deprived Branch of her right to see her lawyer.

– Approving court motions prepared by her husband and daughter without the court record showing any notice of a conflict of interest.

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-12-20/story/judge-amanda-williams-quitting-hearing-judicial-misconduct-charges