Gwinnett County’s Superior Court judges have relieved Senior Judge James “Jim” Oxendine of his duties after learning of Oxendine’s involvement in negotiating a land deal for a developer.
The judges’ decision revolves around a Superior Court rule that prohibits senior judges from practicing law on the side, according to a Gwinnett County court official who asked not to be identified. Senior judges work part-time by doing fill-in work for Superior Court judges.
The action comes after the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Oxendine’s involvement in a $1.16 million land deal in a Sept. 20 article.
Oxendine, the father of state Insurance Commissioner and gubernatorial candidate John Oxendine, did not return phone calls to the AJC. He issued a brief statement Wednesday through his son:
“Because of questions that have arisen regarding my executing certain documents with a power of attorney, last week I accelerated my retirement which had been planned for the end of the year. I want the people of Georgia to know that I have been honored to serve them.”
Oxendine previously told the AJC that he did not believe he was practicing law when he negotiated the land sale because the deal did not involve litigation.
The court official said the majority of judges disagreed.
Oxendine, who has worked as a senior judge since 2002, negotiated the deal for developer and family friend Joe Dixon, the stepson of prominent businessman Randall Dixon.
Joe Dixon sold the land — a total of 8.27 acres along Lakes Parkway, west of Lawrenceville — to Gwinnett County government, which plans to develop the property into a park.
The Sept. 20 article is the latest of several AJC stories about questionable land purchases by Gwinnett County. After reviewing the newspaper’s reports, District Attorney Danny Porter requested a special purpose grand jury to investigate those and other land deals. The same Superior Court judges who relieved Judge Oxendine of his duties granted Porter’s request last month.
Four judges declined to comment on the decision to stop using Oxendine. Some indicated that the group had decided not to talk publicly about it.
The court official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Superior Court judges approached Oxendine last week to inform him of their decision. He cleared out his office by the end of the week.
Oxendine’s colleagues in Superior Court were “surprised” to read about Oxendine’s participation in the land sale, the official said.
“I wouldn’t have expected that he would have done that, that he would be practicing law and be sitting for us,” the official said. “We didn’t know anything about it. It’s not the kind of thing he would talk about over here.”
Of the three senior judges who worked in Gwinnett’s Superior Court, Oxendine had the heaviest caseload. In 2008, he worked 170 days, compared to 53 and 34 days for the other two judges, respectively, court administrator Phil Boudewyns said. The judges get paid $500 for each day they work.
It’s not clear whether the state’s Judicial Qualifications Commission, which investigates complaints of misconduct by Georgia judges, will open a case on Oxendine. The commission’s executive director, Cheryl Custer, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
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