A DeKalb County judge could face a 90-day unpaid suspension for ordering an attorney handcuffed and held in a basement cell for three hours. The judge presides over the court that handles cases for Dunwoody and Brookhaven residents.

Judge Yolanda Parker-Smith, one of 10 judges on the DeKalb Superior Court bench, faces eight formal charges of judicial misconduct. The Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) filed the charges July 20 after investigating three separate incidents, FOX 5 Atlanta reported Sept. 2.

The central incident dates to August 2024. Attorney Gerald Griggs, former president of both the Georgia and Atlanta NAACP chapters, arrived in Parker-Smith's courtroom around 10:30 a.m. He had filed a conflict letter and had his staff call the judge's chambers in advance. Deputies handcuffed him on the spot and moved him to a basement holding cell, where he sat for three hours.

"I walked in, the deputy said, put your hands behind your back," Griggs told FOX 5 Atlanta. "I'm kind of shocked, like what do you mean put your hands behind your back? I looked and glanced at her, she looked down."

Griggs filed a JQC complaint the next day.

The commission's investigation also found that Parker-Smith threatened to arrest the DeKalb County district attorney and an assistant district attorney in separate incidents. She is also accused of refusing to return grand jury indictments in open court because of a personal conflict with a courthouse deputy, according to the Daily Report.

Parker-Smith admitted to violating the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct but denied engaging in willful misconduct or acting in bad faith, the Daily Report reported on Aug. 20. In her formal rebuttal, she said certain matters should have been handled differently and committed to avoiding similar conduct.

The JQC offered to resolve the case with a 90-day unpaid suspension. Parker-Smith rejected that offer and is seeking a public reprimand instead, Decaturish reported Aug. 25.

Griggs called the 90-day suspension "the floor." He said Parker-Smith should have apologized and accepted the punishment rather than pushing for a lighter penalty.

Meanwhile, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston asked Parker-Smith to voluntarily recuse herself from more than 400 pending criminal cases, the Daily Report reported July 28. Judge Gregory A. Adams denied Boston's recusal motion. He also denied her request for immediate appellate review on Aug. 10.

The Georgia Supreme Court has not announced when it will rule on the JQC's recommended suspension.