Chief Judge Retires After Flicking Bottom of District Attorney

Saint Nix Put on Naughty List
For readers of the Nutmeg Lawyer who practice in Georgia (all three of you..our warmest regards), you may have read an item in the Marietta Daily Journal about Judge Kenneth Nix and his Chattachoochee shenanigans. It has been alleged that the 70 year old judge had "flicked the bottoms" of two women who had just sat on his lap for a photo. The two women just happened to be Assistant District Attorney Susan Treadway and deputy investigator Glenda Roberts. They had stopped by to pay their respects after a courtroom reassignment.  The Marietta Daily Journal and ABA Journal quotes the judge as saying "that was a stupid, stupid mistake, I don't think that's sexual harassment. I think it's stupid of me to do it." He want on to eloquently say "It may be improper touching, but it's not to be such that you know I should be whatever." Judge Nix has indicated that he will be resigning as chief judge of the Superior Court in Cobb County on his 71st birthday.

Apparently, the white haired judge asks female attorneys to sit on his knee every Christmas when he is dressed as Santa. The Marietta Journal reports one of the flickees indicated that “He is a 70-year-old man and even though we both were reluctant to grant his request, it is sometimes difficult to say no to a grandfatherly figure and it would have been awkward. What happened later was a crime when he inappropriately touched us. What occurred was more serious than was reported.”

No ethics complaint was filed against the judge and no legal action was taken. Many consider Judge Nix a well respected jurist who has served for distinction for many years. Apparently, the judge will be retiring to avoid an investigation in his unbecoming conduct. One can only imagine what was going through Nix's head. I blame the show Mad Men where this type of behavior is glorified. Parents really need to monitor what their kids watch.  Just because Don Draper can get away with it, doesn't mean you can. 

So what do you think?  Sexual harrasment or innocent fun?  Should the judge resign over this incident or has he suffered enough through the public humiliation  of media coverage including newspaper articles, tv and faceless bloggers with smug posts like "Saint Nix Put on Naughty List"