A probate judge in Middle Georgia has abruptly resigned while facing accusations of misusing county funds and having improper discussions about cases, among other things.
Danielle McRae resigned late Friday as Upson County’s probate judge, a role she’d held since 2012. McRae was under investigation by the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission and is now the subject of a GBI probe.
Credit: Courtesy McRae for Judge
Credit: Courtesy McRae for Judge
JQC Director Courtney Veal said Monday that McRae resigned as a result of its investigation.
The commission ended its case Monday with McRae’s written promise that she won’t seek a judicial role in the future, according to case filings. A GBI spokesperson said the agency was asked Friday to investigate McRae and that “agents intend to proceed with an investigation.”
McRae, who recently served as the president of Georgia’s Council of Probate Court Judges, did not immediately respond to phone and email messages Monday.
Kevin Holder, the council’s executive director, said he received a text message Monday from McRae addressing her resignation. Holder said the text message, which he shared with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, was sent to a group chat that included him and other probate judges.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
“Bottom line is, I have violated a couple of cannons. No matter what I do at this point, I’m f---ed,” the message says. “I have no choice but to resign.”
The message says some of the JQC allegations are “vehemently” denied, while others can’t be denied. It says signed sentence agreements show “the appearance of impropriety.”
“That’s all it takes,” the message says. “Whether it was done intentionally or not doesn’t matter.”
Gov. Brian Kemp accepted McRae’s resignation effective immediately, according to a letter shared by his office.
A JQC report published late Monday said McRae was accused in part of voiding payments made to the court on traffic citations and using her county-issued purchasing card to pay for a personal trip and lodging. She also failed to tell investigators the truth, according to the report.
Holder said McRae was also accused of having improper communications with an attorney about court cases and being chronically absent. He said Upson County’s associate probate judge will take over McRae’s role until a special election is held.
McRae was just reelected in 2024 to a four-year term.
The message Holder said McRae sent to him and others says in part: “Just know, nothing I did was of ill intent.”
“I loved my job and I love y’all and I took it all seriously,” the message says.
Holder said McRae sent the same message to her staff on Friday.
Discipline in JQC cases can include removal from the bench by the Georgia Supreme Court. Each year, the agency receives hundreds of complaints about Georgia judges.
McRae’s name has been removed from the Upson County Probate Court website.
Probate judges in Georgia handle wills and estate matters, gun and marriage licensing, guardianships and other cases.
Before becoming a probate judge, McRae worked as a court clerk in Upson and Meriwether counties. She is not an attorney.
In Georgia, only probate judges in counties with more than 96,000 residents must be attorneys. Upson County has less than 30,000 residents.
McRae is the fourth Georgia judge to resign this year while under investigation by the JQC. In February, the chief magistrate judges of Haralson and Heard counties in West Georgia resigned. The chief judge of Clinch County’s probate and magistrate courts in Southeast Georgia resigned in March.
The probate judge in Douglas County was removed from the bench by the state Supreme Court in June 2024 in response to 30 ethics charges filed by the JQC. Christina Peterson’s removal came shortly after she was arrested at a Buckhead nightclub. Her criminal case, not related to the JQC case, is still pending.
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