UPDATED
Chief Judge Jonathan Sjostrom announced today that Circuit Court Judge Karen Gievers will replace Judge Charles Dodson in the case addressing the residency of City Commissioner Scott Maddox.
Judge Gievers was first elected on November 2, 2010. Gievers was up for re-election in 2016. However, no other candidates filed to run and Gievers was automatically re-elected to a six-year term ending in January 2023.
Judge Gievers began her career in 1976 as a law clerk in Miami. She then worked as an associate, and then partner, of the law firm of Anderson Moss from 1979 to 1987. In 1987, she started her own practice, Gievers, P.A., where she worked as the senior attorney until her judicial election. She moved the firm from Miami to Tallahassee in 1999. In 2010, she was elected to the circuit court.
ORIGINAL POST
Today at approximately 11:30 a.m., Judge Charles Dodson notified the parties involved with the Jackson-Maddox residency case that he has decided to recuse himself.
In a three page “Order of Recusal”, Judge Charles Dodson wrote “I hereby recuse myself and request the Chief Judge of the circuit to appoint anew judge on the case.”
Judge Dodson had previously denied a motion for disqualification filed by Dr. Erwin Jackson. However, that changed after the First DCA ruled the motion was legally sufficient.
You can read the “Order of Recusal” here.
Check back for updates.
UPDATED: Judge Charles Dodson Steps Down from Jackson-Maddox Case, Judge Gievers to Take Over added by Staff on
View all posts by Staff →
It is sad that people can’t keep their personal agendas out of politics. That’s why it is so nasty a business!!
Why not let the rule of law and our system make the finale judgment and stop all the personal attacks! Why can people disagree in the political arena and still show brotherly love to each other!!! At least during this time of year and try expanding it the whole year round? Isn’t that the bigger calling of us all??
First, I know Scott very well and I have no problem as a life long republican disagreeing with him, to his face! I have many times and will continue too when I disagree! But as a law enforcement officer in this community now for almost 3 decades, I also know he has been the biggest supporter and strongest voice for law enforcement in that time. So to beat the guy up over the CDA is rhetoric, he filed the audit and is doing what he can, what are you doing? To blame him for the crime rate is rhetoric, he has been law enforcements strongest voice, he has been on scenes of the most horrifying tragedies, what were you doing?? He has been there to support officers when they had to use deadly force and when deadly force was use against us, where were you??? But he is only one voice. One guy doing what he thinks is best!
He is not perfect as none of us are!!! But as a man, a husband and a father I have watched him do more than most for his family! Perfect…. no more than you or I but stop throwing stones from a glass house!
If he’s judged to have done something wrong let the system do its job. But I pray that not one of you stand the trial and abuse a public servant takes! But that’s why we get paid the big bucks!
YBIC
Stump
Personal agendas and personal attacks? Your misguided rant is so disturbing on so many levels, but it did provide a perfect example of the pattern in which Maddox misuses resources and misdirects energies that should be used for the betterment of the citizens and community. Bullying and intimidation, John? If you believe questioning officials and going through the proper channels is personally attacking perhaps you should do some soul searching to gain some enlightenment. You have displayed that you don’t want citizens to state what Maddox is actually doing and you twist it to make it look like the citizens are doing something wrong. Your ties to TPD and the FOP make it further disturbing that you are intimidating and bullying citizens…and this is what Maddox does. Do your job instead of being the Chief Toadie for Maddox and maybe the crime rate will go down…if Maddox did not expend time, energies, resources, tax dollars, and staff to constantly defend his corruption.
Mr. Maddox is not saying he sleeps, cooks, eats dinner, and has family time at his office location. He is saying, and his defense is, that the law is sufficiently vague that he can claim his residence to be wherever he says it is. His defense to Mr. Jackson’s allegation is “Try to prove the definition of residence when the law doesn’t define it.” By Maddox’s definition of resident, a Tallahassee City Commissioner could have his home in Wash, D.C., with just an office in downtown Tallahassee and still be qualified to serve on the city commissioner. Mr. Maddox is thumbing his nose at all of us, and the clear intent of the law. Furthermore, his actions raise the question of a possible ethical violation of the city ethics code which prohibits even the appearance of impropriety.
You have a home (estate) in the county where your family resides and you have an office in the city. Trying to say you “live” in the downtown office is an affront to everyone and to the integrity of the city commission office and taxpayers.
Stating this on official documents that you “reside” in the city is fraud and stating it in a legal setting is perjury. Then to rant and verbally abuse Mr. Jackson for using the course of a civil action to rectify this abuse is almost intolerable. It is hard to watch along with Maddox’s fellow commissioners and cronies who wink and nod and do nothing except to support and defend this farce. Scott Maddox believes he is above the law, entitled to special exceptions, and thinks nothing of abusing citizens who question his deplorable actions. There are rules for a reason…so that citizens get representation from someone in their district. Citizens are not getting that and it is causing great harm to this community by way of the high rate of crime, utility, and CDA debacles. When will citizens get relief from this deliberate abuse and misuse of office — by an attorney — no less? Unfortunately, the education and moral fiber are MIA in this person’s DNA for him to be able to come to a conclusion on his own to do the right thing. Maddox must further expend energies that should be used in doing good works for the common good and wastes tax dollars to further and defend his fraud. This is a pattern. Please let this blatant misuse and abuse cease and desist so that the citizens have the integrity of this office restored.
Thank you Mr. Jackson for standing up for the citizens!
Expect the City Commission and Mayor to get a recommendation from staff to annex the property where Scott Maddox resides.
Worked for John Marks’. Keep up the good work Mr. Jackson!
Unless they want him off the commission.
That won’t be an option. City charter does not allow exclave annexation. John Marks was able to ask for and receive a voluntary annexation of his property because it abutted already-existing incorporated land on the north side of Maclay Rd. Maddox’s property in question on Meadow Wood does not border any existing city limits. He could not therefore request a voluntary annexation of that single parcel; it would have to be “connected” to existing incorporated properties drawn either southward from the area of Maclay School/Lake Overstreet Park or westward along Timberlane Rd from where the city limits there end at Martin Hurst Rd. Either scenario would obviously encompass multiple parcels of land, requiring a referendum to approve annexation. Those usually require approval not only of residents in the area proposed to be annexed but of all voters in the existing city limits.
Thank you for the explanation. 🙂
I’m guessing Judge Dodson realized he wouldn’t be able to dismiss this case away without being *heavily* scrutinized; and rather than rule against the Tallahassee power brokers, he backed out. The evidence against Maddox must be pretty conclusive…
He apparently had to be pushed by the chief judge or the DCA. He finally quit digging.
Doing the politically correct thing and not ruling by law got him in trouble. His only option was to recuse himself.