Extension request past 30-day deadline on Aug. 22 granted to Tallapoosa Circuit Superior Court Chief Judge

Tallapoosa Circuit Superior Court Chief Judge Meng Lim in late July was charged by the Judicial Qualification Commission with multiple charges around two separate incidents that occurred in previous years.

Judge Lim – being represented by Dennis Cathey of Cathey & Strain, LLC of Cornelia – sought an extension to providing an answer for those charges and will have until Sept. 22 to respond.

No matter whether he provides a formal response or not, he’ll still have to face a hearing and a decision from a panel to pass along to the Georgia Supreme Court for the ultimate disposition of the charges.

JQC Executive Director Chuck Boring reported in an e-mail that Judge Lim was given a 30-day extension when requested to answer the 16 charges in two separate incidents that date back to 2016.

He had no further comment about the request for the extension.

Charges against Judge Lim in the incidents stem from his involvement and interference with a drug court participant in one incident, and an inappropriate relationship with a former Polk County Superior Court Clerk’s office employee in another.

Those allegations made in a 35-page filing in late July included “willful misconduct in office” and “conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice which brings the judicial office into disrepute.”

The investigation stemmed from charges being filed and then no action being taken by the Haralson County Grand Jury in 2020 involving a domestic violence incident that was looked into by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Whether Judge Lim via Cathey acting as his attorney respond or not, after the extra 30-day extension past the August 22 deadline, a hearing panel will ultimately be gathered to determine whether the charges stand and merit further disciplinary action from the Georgia Supreme Court.

Per the rules established for such matters by the JQC, Judge Lim will get a chance to respond to the charges during the hearing, conducted by Boring. He’ll have an opportunity to examine Judge Lim on the charges, and both sides will get a chance to question and cross-examine witnesses and provide evidence.

Afterward, the panel will determine and report to the Georgia Supreme Court a decision on whether to proceed or dismiss the charges.

JQC matters are now being provided for public view online. Click here for more about JQC matters here.

Check back for more later in the month when a response is provided or not, and when a hearing is planned.