The Tallapoosa Circuit Drug Court is going to get a new leader – likely an appointed Senior Judge – to oversee a program that in recent weeks has been at the forefront of issues brought up after the loss of a director in November, and further charges brought on by the Judicial Qualification Commission involving another participant in the court.
Per multiple sources with knowledge of the issue, the Council of Accountability Court Judges sent an order to Tallapoosa Circuit Superior Court Judge Meng Lim on Tuesday relieving him of his oversight of the court.
Additional anonymous sources who didn’t want to have their names placed on the record said that staff and participants were informed, and he made a public announcement before the drug court session ended on Wednesday afternoon, February 23.
Polk Today has reached out to Taylor Jones, the Executive Director for the CACJ about the order but had not yet received a response back by the time this post was completed.
The CACJ had received complaints in November about the running of the court following the resignation of Vann Blankenship, who was coordinator for the Drug Court for several months until he left his post. He now is working to head up Polk Against Drugs.
Judge Lim, who faces multiple charges from the state’s JQC due to improprieties previously reported here on Polk Today, remains in his post as the Chief Judge for the Tallapoosa Circuit Superior Court.
A timetable for sharing evidence and witness lists was set for Lim to face his original charges and the additional ones filed concerning new cases posted in late January.
The JQC and Judge Lim and his attorneys have until March 21 to exchange a witness list, and have all other evidence turned in “as defined by Rule 22,” per a Feb. 16 filing posted on the state Supreme Court website in the case’s latest update.
Judge Lim, who is seeking re-election, must have all filings seeking to argue against the charges completed by May 23.
A final hearing date hasn’t been set on his JQC case.
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