DeKalb judge stepping down from judicial watchdog agency after Gaza posts

“While I am confident my post does not constitute a violation of the rules of judicial conduct, I do not want the JQC, or its investigative process, to come under attack for any reason,” Hydrick wrote, noting her resignation “is being submitted against the advice of dear friends, community leaders, trusted colleagues and fellow members of the Bar.”

The judge thanked Peterson for the opportunity to serve on the JQC’s investigative panel, which looks into allegations of judicial misconduct across the state. She said it has been “both an honor and a privilege to be a part of the very important work the commission has done over the years.”

“But it is far more important to me that the process move forward without the distraction of me remaining on the commission,” she said.

Hydrick said her decision to step down ensures there can be no suggestion she had any influence in the outcome of the investigation into her social media remarks, from which she fully expects to be exonerated.

Hydrick said she made the comments online last week after watching video footage of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in southern Israel that left nearly 1,200 people dead. The footage, she said, depicted “the most horrific mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust.”

In her now-deleted post, Hydrick wrote she was “absolutely broken” by the deaths of Israeli mother Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, whose remains were returned to Israel last week.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

“If anyone has ‘no issues’ with Hamas, believes there are innocent civilians in Gaza, or thinks Oct. 7th was about land, resistance or somehow justified in any way, you MUST watch this footage and hear with your own ears how the Jihadists, AND the people of Gaza, were celebrating and gloating about their brutal murder of Jews,” she wrote in the post, according to widely shared screenshots.

In a response to one comment, Hydrick appeared to encourage a follower to watch the Oct. 7 footage for themselves.

“Then I will be happy to talk to you about the innocent civilians,” the judge wrote. “Hard to believe there are any after watching what I saw.”

The response to the judge’s Facebook posts was swift, with some attorneys calling for her resignation and others defending her comments. The Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on Hydrick to apologize for what it called “her hateful anti-Palestinian remarks.”

Palestinian American defense attorney Musa Ghanayem has tried cases in Hydrick’s courtroom for well over a decade and said he’s even donated to her reelection campaign.

But he was stunned by the judge’s comments questioning whether there are innocent civilians in Gaza, he said, especially after Israel’s 15-month offensive that left at least 46,000 Palestinians dead.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

“This is absolutely shocking,” he said during an interview. “What we’ve seen is a livestreamed genocide … These are the most horrific scenes that we’ve seen in our lifetime coming out of any conflict.”

Ghanayem said he was among those who lodged a formal complaint against the judge after interacting with her social media post. He called Hydrick’s decision to resign from the JQC “a start,” but thinks she should also be removed from the bench.

Defense attorney Doug Weinstein was among those who supported Hydrick online, saying she did nothing wrong. He said Thursday he is sad to see her resign from the JQC, saying she has always been a fair and effective jurist.

“Anyone that saw that particular video that she had watched could easily come away from it with her feelings,” Weinstein said. “I do not believe her post was inappropriate or racist, or that she called for the destruction of Gaza or the Palestinians in Gaza.”

But he said he understands why some people may have been offended by the judge’s post.

Weinstein called the decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict “an incredibly emotional issue,” especially since the attacks of Oct. 7 and Israel’s subsequent military response.

“It is difficult to see what was done to the 1,200 people who were killed in that massacre and what has happened to the hostages,” Weinstein said during an interview. “And it is also tragic and horrific to see the destruction that has been wrought in Gaza.”

In her resignation letter, Hydrick said she will completely cooperate with the JQC and be happy to answer any questions they may have.

“Most importantly, I look forward to continuing to serve as a judge for the citizens of DeKalb County as I have for the past fourteen years,” she said.

— AJC political reporter Greg Bluestein contributed to this article.