The George Supreme Court will consider removing a state appeals court judge, Christian Coomer, from the bench after a three-judge panel found him guilty of multiple ethics violations. It takes a lot to get the justice system to police itself, but Coomer's long list of wrongdoing demonstrates a deeply corrupt individual.
The panel found that Coomer improperly mingled money from his campaign account with his law firm's banking account. Four times in 2017, his campaign account transferred between $1,000 and $1,200 to his law firm account. Each time, Coomer's law firm account would have suffered an overdrawn balance had the transfer not been made, the panel found.
The panel also said Coomer improperly used campaign funds for family vacations to Israel and Hawaii. In all, the panel said the JQC proved 29 of the 36 ethics violations lodged against Coomer, who took the stand twice during his quasi-trial.
Emotional at times, Coomer said the allegations tarnished his reputation and embarrassed his family. He admitted to "blurring the lines" between attorney and friendship when he asked former client Jim Filhart for three loans totaling nearly $370,000. Coomer said he repaid the money with interest; most of it was returned after Filhart filed a lawsuit accusing Coomer of fraud and malpractice.
