District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez released a statement on Wednesday regarding published reports of court transcripts of an exchange between Chief Superior Court Judge Lawton E. Stephens and herself.
The statement reads: "I will always fight for my staff to be fairly treated just as we fight every day for the people of Oconee and Athens Clarke. I will continue to accept responsibility for the actions of this office, but I will never allow my staff to be mistreated in a court of law."
Judge Stephens said he could not comment on the proceedings, citing the Code of Judicial Conduct.
According to published accounts, during the exchange, the DA accused the judge of being rude to an assistant DA, who has since resigned. Judge Stephens responded by saying that he holds the employees in the office to a high degree of responsibility and competence.
