<p>A Fulton County Juvenile Court judge whose child was found wandering the streets one night last November has announced she will resign.</p><p>Nina Hickson's decision to step down, which was announced Monday afternoon, ends an oversight investigation into her ability to continue working as judge.</p><p>Hickson had been chief judge of the state's largest juvenile court since May 2002. But she has kept a low profile since her January suspension after it was disclosed that she had left her 4-year-old daughter home alone one night in November while retrieving a bag from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The child was found wandering a neighborhood street without a coat or shoes.</p><p>"While I strongly believe that I could continue to effectively serve on the bench, despite the fact that I made a single, serious parenting mistake, it is clear that there are those who believe otherwise," Hickson told reporters and about 20 supporters, including her pastor. "As a consequence, I have decided that it is not in the best interest of the court or my family to prolong the pending administrative proceedings any further."</p><p>Her resignation will be effective April 30, she said.</p><p>Hickson's attorney, Mark Trigg, said Hickson was not pressured to resign and did so voluntarily.</p><p>The Judicial Qualifications Commission, an investigative arm of the state Supreme Court, met last week to discuss Hickson's fate. But with Hickson's resignation, the commission will close the case and keep its findings private, as required by law, said Commission Chairman Steve Jones, a Superior Court judge in Clarke County.</p><p>The state Division of Family and Children Services concluded that Hickson neglected her child, but the agency classified it as a one-time incident and did not take her daughter from her.</p><p>But some judges, children's advocates and others questioned whether Hickson should continue overseeing a court where protecting children is the top priority. Hickson was suspended with pay in January while being investigated by police, prosecutors and the commission that oversees judges.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x2866448)</p>
