JQC director’s resignation not tied to ousted judges

The resignation of the longtime director of Georgia’s Judicial Qualifications Commission is apparently tied to workload not the commission’s successful recent demands for the resignations of former Griffin circuit judges Johnnie L. Caldwell Jr. and Paschal L. English Jr.Cheryl Fisher Custer announced Friday that she is stepping down once her replacement is hired. She had been criticized in some circles for drawing a salary of $82,560 for what some feel is a part-time job.In a prepared statement, Custer said, “Constant increases in the caseload and duties of the Commission during this time, and particularly in the past year, have made fulfilling my obligations to both my family and the Commission difficult if not impossible. Simply put, I have concluded that it is time to pass the torch on to a successor.”