Ferguson judge resigns after DOJ report; Missouri appeals judge will take over municipal docket
Updated: A Missouri appeals judge will take over the municipal court docket in Ferguson, Missouri, after a Justice Department report slammed the court for imposing fees and fines that can become crippling debt for some defendants.
Municipal judge Ronald Brockmeyer, credited and criticized for generating city revenue through court fees, resigned from the part-time job on Monday, report the New York Times and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The docket will now be transferred to Judge Roy Richter of the Missouri Court of Appeals.
A Justice Department report released last week noted that Ferguson’s finance director had praised Brockmeyer in 2011 for significantly increasing court collections. The finance director’s report noted a list, drafted by Brockmeyer, showing how he had increased revenue by creating additional fees.
According to the Justice Department, many of those additional fees “are widely considered abusive and may be unlawful.” They included a $50 fee to clear a pending arrest warrant, a failure-to-appear fine that is increased with each missed court appearance, and increasing fines for repeat offenders.
Meanwhile, the Guardian reported that Brockmeyer owed more than $170,000 in overdue federal taxes. He earned about $20,000 as a part-time Ferguson judge, the Post-Dispatch says.
Brockmeyer told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he resigned because he and his family received death threats. He said he doesn’t believe the Justice Department report was correct, “but it’s not worth fighting.”
He also told the newspaper the unpaid taxes “aren’t being ignored. I’m making my payments, and they’re on time.”
On Wednesday, Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson announced he was also resigning. John Shaw, the Ferguson city manager, resigned on Tuesday.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Two officers in Ferguson are shot outside police station amid waning protests”
Updated on March 12 to add that the Ferguson police chief and city manager have also resigned.
