Cynthia J. Becker

Cynthia Becker Mello[3] (born February 26, 1957) is a former Georgia Superior Court Judge on the DeKalb Superior Court, Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit, from 2000 until March 1, 2015.[4] She presided over several high-profile cases, including the criminal trial of former Sheriff Sidney Dorsey[5] and the release of exonerated Clarence Harrison.[6]

Cynthia J. Becker
Judge for the DeKalb County Superior Court, Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit
In office
August 2000 – March 1, 2015
Personal details
Born
Cynthia Jeanne Becker[1]

(1957-02-26) February 26, 1957[2]
Patrick Air Force Base, Florida[2]
EducationUniversity of Central Florida (BA)
Georgia State University College of Law (JD)

Career
  • DeKalb County Drug Court, Tracks 1 & 2 - Presiding Judge
  • Judge of DeKalb County Superior Court (August 2000 – March 2015)
  • Trial lawyer and partner for Chambers, Mabry (1988 – 2000)[7]

Education

Controversy

Becker announced her resignation from the DeKalb County Superior Court in November, 2014, citing her engagement to be married,[8] under the cloud of a Georgia Judicial Qualification Commission investigation into her handling of a case where she rejected a witness' testimony in a public corruption case.[9]

In August, 2015, a Cobb County, Georgia grand jury indicted Becker on charges that she lied to the state judicial watchdog agency about her handling of that case.[10] The charges were dismissed a few days later[11] and the prosecutor was scolded for seeking the indictment.[12]

Acclamations
  • Master, Bleckley Inn of Court, Georgia State University College of Law
  • Board of Visitors, GSU College of Law
  • 2006 Member of Judicial Workload Assessment Committee and was appointed by Chief Justice Sears
  • Council of Superior Court Judges of Georgia - Treatment and Accountability Courts Committee and has also chaired on Public Outreach; Court Security for the 4th Judicial Administrative District, Pattern Jury Instruction Committee, Uniform Rules Committee, the Executive Planning Team, and Special Committee on Other Courts
  • 2007 Transition into Law Practice Program Mentor
  • Judicial Outreach - “Challenges of Being a Single Parent”; Mock Trials for elementary and middle school students
  • Frequent Presenter at professional seminars for Judges, Lawyers, and other legal professionals focusing on: legal ethics, professionalism and implementation and expansion of Accountability and Treatment Courts
  • 2006 Named Law Dragon as one of the leading Judges in the Country
  • 2005 Decatur Rotary Past President, former Vice President of DeKalb Library Foundation, Class of Leadership DeKalb; member of the Southern Center for International Studies
  • Professional Affiliations include: DeKalb Bar Association, DeKalb Lawyers’ Association, Atlanta Bar Association - Judicial Section, President Elect, the Georgia Bar Association, the American Bar Association - Judicial Branch, and the National Association of Women Judges[13]

References
  1. Judge Profile: Hon. Cynthia Jeanne Becker
  2. Hubbell, Martindale (April 1997). Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory: Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho (Volume 6 - 1997). Martindale-Hubbell. ISBN 9781561602223.
  3. Ex-judge says voters may have voided her pledge to stay off the bench
  4. "Transitions". Archived from the original on 2015-03-25.
  5. Christensen, Tracey (15 August 2002). "Dorsey: Life Plus 23 Years in Prison". Free Republic. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  6. "Wrongly-Convicted Inmate Goes Free after 17 Years in Prison". Georgia Innocence Project, Inc. 31 August 2004. Archived from the original on 21 December 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  7. "Cynthia Becker". LinkedIn. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  8. Niesse, Mark (10 November 2014). "DeKalb judge plans to resign". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  9. "Judge in DeKalb corruption case sends resignation letter". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  10. Johnson, Kent D. (20 August 2015). "Grand Jury Indicts Ex-DeKalb Judge Over Her Dealings With JQC". Daily Report. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  11. "Charges against ex-DeKalb Judge Becker dropped". AJC.com. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  12. McDonald, R. Robin (27 August 2015). "Cobb Judge Blasted Prosecutor Over Ex-Judge's Short-Lived Indictment". Daily Report. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  13. "Judge Cynthia J. Becker". Stone Mountain Judicial Court Circuit. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2012.


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