After many years of honorable service, Judge Robert Sullivan is retiring as the State Court Judge
of Carroll County.
I have appeared before him on a regular basis for 17 years. He is one of the most fair, intelligent,
and community driven judges in our state. He will be missed.
Fortunately, we have three highly qualified candidates who are seeking to become our next
judge. That is actually a rare occurrence. Each is knowledgeable, experienced, and has a history
of serving our community. Each possesses character attributes like integrity, honesty, and a
strong work ethic. Each is also an excellent attorney.
While any of the three would do an excellent job, Met Lane is the choice. The reasoning appears
below.
First, let’s consider exactly what state courts do in Georgia. In 70 counties, state courts handle
misdemeanor charges, including D.U.I., family violence, traffic cases, and some civil cases. The
state court does not hear civil actions involving land, divorce, child custody, adoption, parental
rights, or any other family law matters.
In 2018, more than 90 % of the caseload in the State Court of Carroll Co. consisted of criminal
and traffic matters. It is safe to say that the state court is a criminal/traffic court.
It is also safe to say that state courts not only serve the county where they are established. The
people of Douglas, Coweta, Haralson, Troup, Heard, and the surrounding counties will be
affected by who wins this race.
So, why is Met Lane the best candidate for this particular judgeship? Consider these seven
objective reasons:
- Lane was born and raised in Carrollton, Ga. He has been invested in the west Georgia
community his entire life; - He has the experience and knowledge regarding criminal law that is critical in order to have
the most efficient, fair, and just state court. Lane served as an Assistant District Attorney under
former District Attorney Peter John Skandalakis. He has prosecuted numerous felony and
misdemeanor cases. He has also served as a defense lawyer protecting his clients and the
Constitution; - Lane’s legal experience includes civil law as well. He is a partner at Shadrix, Lane, and
Parmer, which is a prominent law firm in Carrollton. This experience provides him the ability to
effectively and fairly preside over the few civil cases that are filed in state court. - After meeting with Troup County State Court Judge Jeanette Little and attending their D.U.I.
Court graduation, he committed to establishing a much needed D.U.I. Court in Carroll Co.
D.U.I. courts take high risk offenders and make our communities safer by providing a highly
structured program for these offenders that decreases the number of impaired drivers on our
roads. - Lane is a solid supporter of former Governor Nathan Deal’s criminal justice reforms and
accountability courts. He has vowed to create a local Veterans Court that will assist our eligible
veteran defendants with substance abuse issues and/or mental health struggles. No one deserves
a chance to be helped within the criminal justice system more than the warriors who have
protected our freedom to even establish a court system; - He has a common sense and conservative judicial philosophy. Like Justice Clarence Thomas
and the late Justice Antonin Scalia, Lane believes that judges have a limited role. Judges should
not make law or policy from the bench. Judges should make rulings based on the words of the
law; not what a judge wants the outcome to be. - Met Lane has the courage to make unpopular rulings when the law demands it. It is well
documented that Lane put his own financial interests in jeopardy a number of times with his
votes on the Carrollton City Council. You may have agreed or disagreed with some of his votes.
But, his decisions were based on what he thought was the right thing to do despite the possibility
of losing money, strong political pressure, and/or the many other consequences that a public
servant must face when casting a controversial or unpopular vote.
Regardless of who you support, I strongly encourage you to vote.
**** For easy voting during the COVIS-19 public health situation, consider applying for your
absentee ballot today. Early voting begins on May 18th, 2020. The election will take place on
June 9th, 2020.