Judge Joseph Cushner, Bulloch County’s State Court Judge, was recently named to a state board on criminal case data.
Governor Brian Kemp appointed Judge Cushner earlier this month. Cushner currently serves as Bulloch County’s only State Court judge, a position he has held since his appointment in 2020.
Kemp appointed Cushner to the Criminal Case Data Exchange Board which serves as an advisory board to the Council of Superior Court Clerks of Georgia. The Board also establishes rules for criminal e-Filing and facilitation of the implementation of statewide criminal case e-Filing and related data exchanges.
The General Assembly first created the Board in 2018 and in 2022 again reestablished it as the advisory board for GA CSCCG under the ‘Criminal Record Responsibility Act.’ Among the board’s priorities is the creation of a victim notification system, which would notify victims in cases regarding arrests, pre-trial release, court hearings, and sentencing.
Prior to his appointment, he served as the solicitor general of Bulloch County. Cushner is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where he also attended law school. He then served as assistant district attorney for the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit, where he prosecuted felony cases and violent crimes in superior court. He is a native of Bulloch County, graduating from Statesboro High School in 2003. Cushner and his wife of tens years, Leslie, have two daughters.
Others Appointed
Other recent appointees of the board include:
- the director of the Georgia Crime Information Center,
- the director of the Office of Planning and Budget,
- the director of the Administrative Office of the Courts,
- the director of the Georgia Public Defender Council,
- the commissioner of corrections,
- the commissioner of community supervision,
- the executive director of the Georgia Technology Authority,
- the executive counsel of the Governor,
- the executive director of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, and
- a representative of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of the State of Georgia.
Patrick “Pat” Labat currently serves as the 28th Sheriff of Fulton County, Georgia. In his 30 years of experience in the public safety sector, he has developed a reputation for motivating his workforce through hands-on leadership. In his decade of service as Chief of the City of Atlanta Department of Corrections, Labat served on the mayor’s executive team and was responsible for providing visionary leadership for budget of over $30 million. He maintained a nationally accredited detention facility and pioneered youth diversion programs as well as the nationally acclaimed PAT3 reentry program. In recognition of his contributions, the Georgia Jail Association named him Jail Administrator of the Year in 2015 and 2019. Sheriff Labat is a native Atlantan and a lifelong resident of Fulton County. He and his wife, Jacki, have four children.
Greg Allen has served as the clerk of superior, state, and juvenile courts in Forsyth County since being elected in 2008. Allen is an alumnus of Forsyth County High School and holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Georgia State University. In his time at the Forsyth County Clerk of Court’s Office, Allen garnered the Clerk of the Year for the State of Georgia in 2018, among other recognitions. Allen is the board chairman of the Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority and the current elected president of the Superior Court Clerks Association of Georgia. He and his wife, Kim, have been married for 29 years and are the proud parents of three children.
Marie Broder is the first female district attorney for the Griffin Judicial Circuit. She received bachelor’s degrees in Speech Communication and Public Relations and a law degree from the University of Georgia. She has served as a law clerk and associate, assistant district attorney, and office manager. Before he was appointed as a Superior Court Judge, Broder served as chief assistant district attorney for Benjamin Coker.
Broder has handled thousands of cases during her career and has tried over 50 cases to verdict, handling everything from murder to drug trafficking charges. She has developed a specialty in trying crimes against women and children. Broder is a member of:
- Georgia Bar Association,
- Georgia Association of Women Lawyers,
- Spalding County Bar Association,
- Fayette County Bar Association,
- Upson County Bar Association,
- Federalist Society,
- Phi Beta Kappa,
- Daughters of the American Revolution, and
- Georgia Cattlemen’s Association.
She and her husband, Karl, reside in Griffin with their daughter.
Janet Moon is the Chief of Police for the Peachtree City Police Department. Before holding this position, Moon served as a military police officer for the U.S. Army, a lieutenant for the Rome City Police Department, and the deputy chief of police for the Suwanee Police Department. She holds a degree in Criminal Justice from Floyd College, a bachelor’s in Organizational Management from Covenant College, and a master’s in Public Administration from Columbus State University. In her 37 years of experience in law enforcement, Moon developed a consistent history of reducing crime and spending while improving efficiency and public perception.
Wade Padgett has served as the Superior Court Judge for the Augusta Judicial Circuit since 2009. Padgett graduated from the University of Georgia in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in History. He went on to receive his law degree from Georgia State University. Afterwards, Padgett worked in the District Attorney’s Office for the Augusta Judicial Circuit as an assistant district attorney. He served on the bench as Chief Magistrate Judge for Columbia County from 2005 to 2009. Outside of his professional life, Padgett is an active member of Wesley United Methodist Church. He also serves as the chair of the Board of Directors for Leadership Augusta. He and his wife, Alice, live in Augusta and have two children.
