Court Opinion

ID: 9609886
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 03:32:49.3404+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:02:53.114511
License: Public Domain

Evans, Judge,
concurring specially.
One of the enumerations of error on the part of appellant is that the commissioners had prejudged the case; in other words, were not fair and impartial. This may be a hiatus in the law, but there is no requirement that they be fair and impartial.
Federal judges may be moved against if they are not *420fair and impartial. See 28 USCA, § 144 involved in Berger v. United States, 255 U. S. 22 (41 SC 230, 65 LE 481); United States v. Thompson, 483 F2d 527; and as to 28 USCA, § 455, see Laird v. Tatum (408 U. S. 1), Motion to Recuse Supreme Court Justice, 409 U. S. 824 (93 SC 7, 34 LE2d 50).
State court judges, under a quite recent law, may have their fairness and impartiality questioned. Code Ann. § 2-4803 (Ga. L. 1972, p. 1364; ratified Nov. 7, 1972); Canon 3C, Code of Judicial Conduct, 231 Ga. A-5.
Jurors may be questioned on the voir dire, and if one admits his prejudice and partiality, the trial judge will remove him from the panel. See Jones v. Cloud, 119 Ga. App. 697, 698 (5), 707 (168 SE2d 598).
But county commissioners and certain other officials described in Code Ann. § 24-102 may be disqualified only if they are related to the parties — and sometimes to counsel; or financially interested in the outcome of the case. See Elder v. Camp, 193 Ga. 320 (1) (18 SE2d 622); Jones v. State, 219 Ga. 848 (1) (136 SE2d 358); Long v. State, 25 Ga. App. 22 (1) (102 SE 359); Hendricks v. State, 34 Ga. App. 508 (2) (130 SE 539); Beavers v. Inman, 35 Ga. App. 404 (1) (133 SE 275); Columbian Peanut Co. v. Pope, 69 Ga. App. 26, 29 (24 SE 710); Smith v. State, 74 Ga. App. 777 (1) (41 SE2d 541).
Just how we have gone along this far without ever correcting this inequity in the law is beyond my comprehension. It should be corrected, and speedily, and until then, as Mr. Bumble said: "The law is a ass . . .”
For the above reasons, as I am bound by Code Ann. § 24-102,1 concur specially in the judgment of affirmance.