SAVANNAH, Ga. — A statewide commission has reached a unanimous verdict that could result in the removal of a judge from his position in Chatham County.

The judicial qualifications committee has reported that Probate Judge Tom Bordeaux breached judicial conduct guidelines.

This follows allegations that Judge Bordeaux delayed issuing decisions in numerous cases—16 in total—some of which have been under scrutiny for several years.

According to the detailed 69-page report, certain cases were left unresolved for over seven years.

Judge Bordeaux, serving since 2016, refuted these claims during his testimony, attributing the delays to staffing challenges.

The panel said being a judge is a privilege and “because of his own actions, and more rightly, inactions, we find that judge Bordeaux has forfeited that privilege.”

Savannah attorney Mark Tate, who has several clients who have cases stalled due to Bordeaux’s inaction, lauds the commission’s decision.

Tate told ’s Andrew Davis, “While the removal of Tom Bordeaux from the bench is the right result, it’s regrettable that the voters of Chatham County had to endure all these years and expense to finally have a chance for a quality probate judge. We all look forward to that future. “

It is now up to the Georgia Supreme Court to decide if Bordeaux will be removed from office.