Jason Blackmon Removed

Jason Blackmon, Chief Magistrate of Haralson County, Georgia, resigned from the bench on February 5, 2025, after the state's Judicial Qualifications Commission investigated him for alleged misconduct and an investigative panel found reasonable cause to believe he violated the Code of Judicial Conduct. The panel's findings centered on Blackmon initiating, permitting, and considering ex parte communications — communications with one side of a case outside the presence of the other — which the Commission said failed to promote public confidence in the independence and impartiality of the judiciary.

Blackmon, recently re-elected to a new term, submitted his resignation to Governor Brian Kemp, who accepted it. Blackmon told local news outlets he agreed to resign without admitting any impropriety rather than contest the allegations.