The effort to dismiss criminal charges against former Douglas County Judge Christina Peterson remains unresolved after her August 22 hearing in Fulton County, Georgia, was postponed.
Peterson faces charges stemming from a June 2023 incident in which she allegedly struck an Atlanta police officer during a confrontation outside a Buckhead nightclub.
The hearing was delayed after Peterson’s attorney, Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr., failed to appear.
According to reports, Arrington Jr. had submitted a leave of absence three weeks prior, though the prosecution claimed they were only notified late the night before the scheduled hearing. Arrington Jr. was reportedly attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago at the time of the missed court date, as indicated by posts on his social media.
Peterson was arrested on June 20 following the altercation and now faces charges including simple battery against a police officer and obstruction of law enforcement.
Video footage shows her intervening in a physical dispute between a man and a woman outside the Peachtree Road Red Martini Restaurant and Lounge.
Arrington Jr. argues that Peterson was acting as a “good Samaritan” to protect an assault victim and was not intending to attack law enforcement.
The former judge’s legal troubles extend beyond this incident. In a separate proceeding, the Georgia Supreme Court removed Peterson from the bench following findings of repeated judicial misconduct.
As part of that decision, she was barred from holding any judicial office in Georgia for seven years and replaced by attorney Valerie Vie, who will serve the remainder of Peterson’s term until January 2025.
A new date for Peterson’s hearing has yet to be set.
