Like me, Melanie Cross is a graduate of Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law. Like me, Melanie Cross more likely than not had Congressman Jim Marshall as a law school professor.In 2006, Melanie Cross and her husband Ray held a fundraiser for Jim Marshall in their home and contributed $1,000.00 to Marshall’s congressional re-election campaign. Between 2006 and now, Melanie Cross became a Tift County Superior Court Judge, thus prohibiting her from participating in political campaigns other than her own.Nonetheless, earlier this year, Melanie Cross’s husband co-hosted an event for Jim Marshall and contributed another $1,000.00 to Jim Marshall’s congressional campaign.Given Melanie Cross’s track record and station in life, you would think she would leave well enough alone and not come within ten feet of a political issue relating to Jim Marshall. But Melanie Cross couldn’t help herself.Middle Georgia Democratic activist Amy Morton, wife of Daryl Morton who is the 8th District Chairman for the Georgia Democratic Party, filed an action in Tift County Superior Court against Marshall’s 8th District challenger, Austin Scott.Scott and his ex-wife, a decade ago, filed for divorce and subsequently had their divorce records sealed in part to protect their child from having both of his parents’ lives dragged out before him by his dad’s political opponents.Amy Morton, who ironically is a child counsellor who should know the impact of divorces on children, wants that divorce record unsealed so any dirty laundry that might be in there can be used by her and other Democrats to destroy what is shaping up to be a substantial challenge to Jim Marshall.Melanie Cross, a Marshall supporter and donor, is more than happy to oblige. Morton’s demand to unseal the divorce made its way to Cross’s desk who, instead of passing it on to a judge without a dog in the fight, did what any loyal Marshall supporter would do — she set a hearing for a week before the general election. One week.That gives plenty of time for the gossip-mongers to circulate rumors, make sure it gets plenty of attention, but not enough time to effectively combat the gossip. Oh, but bless her heart, Melanie Cross decided she would not actually preside at the hearing. Another judge will do that.In other words, Jim Marshall supporter and donor Melanie Cross used her power to set a hearing on a sealed divorce record at the most inopportune time for Marshall’s challenger Austin Scott, then passed the political hot potato to another judge lest anyone cry foul.With judges like that, who needs a judiciary — let’s just let politicians handle everything.The Marshall campaign is now running from this as fast as possible denying any culpability. They may not be directly involved, but they are only a few degrees, at best, removed from this.In April, opposition researchers for the Democrats were snooping around filing open records requests and trying to get the divorce records. Two weeks ago the National Republican Congressional Committee called to tell me Marshall staffers were telling potential Scott supporters the divorce stuff would be coming.Instead of running on the issues and his voting record, Jim Marshall and the Democrats would rather resort to the politics of personal destruction. Considering all those who have ever run against Marshall did that to him and lost, you would think he would realize just how likely this is to blow up in his face.