Georgia’s Judicial Qualifications Commission has announced the hiring of attorney Mark F. Dehler as its new executive director. A longtime Democratic Party donor and husband of former Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Dehler is also the special master/investigator presiding over the State Bar of Georgia’s ethics complaint against David Ralston, the Republican speaker of Georgia’s House of Representatives.
Dehler’s star is definitely rising in state legal circles, although when he was named special master Common Cause Georgia and other government watchdogs worried that such a partisan pick might be biased. Dehler told WSB-TV recently that he estimated he and his wife have given more than $34,000 to Democrat campaigns in the last 10 years. (Ironically, online records show of that money, $750 was given to the Ralston campaign in 2010.) Dehler donated large amounts to both presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in 2007-2008.
Dehler will have great influence over a body tasked investigate judicial misconduct. In fact, in recent years, dozens of Georgia judges have been embarrassed and forced from office because of aggressive JQC investigations.
The commission is made up of seven members: two judges, three lawyers and two members of the public. The judges are appointed by the state Supreme Court, the lawyers are appointed by the State Bar of Georgia and members of the public are appointed by the governor. All members serve four-year terms.
