Judiciary

Judge Sanctioned for Sarcastic Remarks

A Los Angeles judge been publicly admonished for treating an attorney in a “belittling, rude and sarcastic manner” and for abusing his authority, the Los Angeles Times reports. The opinion (PDF) by the California Commission on Judicial Performance says conduct rules require judges to be patient, dignified and courteous to…

Apr 27, 2007 6:24 PM CDT

Calif. Judge Removed Over Sentencing Issues

A Monterey County judge reportedly was removed from the bench this week becuse of sentencing improprieties. They included increasing sentences for probation violators without giving them due process, joking with defendants about their sentences and penalizing defendants whose lawyers were late to court, according to the AP. A three-judge panel…

Apr 26, 2007 9:22 PM CDT

Study: Judges Hurt by Lawmaker Pay-Match Plan

Congress’ policy of linking its salaries to those of federal judges has probably held down pay raises for judges, a new study says. The study by the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research was done for former members of Congress who want to end the…

Apr 25, 2007 4:06 PM CDT

Ethics Complaint Alleges Courthouse Affair

An ethics complaint claims a prosecutor appeared before a Colorado judge even though the two were having an affair that included trysts in the judge’s chambers, the Rocky Mountain News reports. Named in the complaint are Grafton Minot Biddle, who resigned his Douglas County judgeship after his wife sent a…

Apr 24, 2007 3:20 PM CDT

Jurist Cleared of Abortion-Case Ethics Charges

No basis has been found for ethics charges brought by abortion opponents against a state court judge in Sedgwick County, Kan. District Judge Paul W. Clark had been accused of being influenced by several $500 campaign contributions in his decision to dismiss criminal charges brought against one of the nation’s…

Apr 23, 2007 11:21 PM CDT

First African-American Federal Judge in Ark. Dies

Putting an end to a long career of “firsts,” Arkansas federal judge George Howard Jr. died April 21. He was 82. The first African-American judge to sit on a federal court bench in the state, Howard was also the first African-American to do so on the state supreme and appellate…

Apr 23, 2007 10:37 PM CDT

Justice Thomas’ Struggles Recounted

The nephew of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was illiterate and was in and out of jail throughout his life. When Mark Elliot Martin was convicted in 1997 of pointing a gun at another person, Thomas took custody of Martin’s son, Marky. The boy, now a teen, excelled in…

Apr 23, 2007 3:51 PM CDT

DA Says Judgeships Were Bought

Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes says a former judge convicted of bribery last week could help prove longtime rumors that judges have had to pay to obtain judgeships. The New York Law Journal quotes Hynes as saying ex-Judge Gerald Garson and a former assemblyman “have information about the system…

Apr 23, 2007 12:36 PM CDT

Judge Suspended for Jailing Immigrants

A western Kentucky judge is being suspended without pay for 15 days for jailing indefinitely 17 immigrants initially stopped for traffic violations. Judge Carol Sue Browning arranged for police to jail immigrants without identification, and then denied them bail while federal authorities investigated their status, the AP reports. Some were…

Apr 20, 2007 6:16 PM CDT

Ex-Judge Convicted of Bribery

A former Brooklyn, N.Y., judge has been convicted of bribery for accepting cash, dinners and cigars to give a lawyer favored treatment in divorce cases, the New York Times reports. Gerald P. Garson, who is being treated for cancer, showed no reaction after the verdict against him was announced, the…

Apr 20, 2007 5:57 PM CDT

Ad Distances Insurer from GC’s Comments About Judges

United Automobile Insurance Co. took out an ad in the Daily Business Review in an effort to distance itself from its general counsel’s comment that Miami judges “are being paid off,” the Daily Business Review reports. Immediately after making the comment, general counsel Charles Grimsley had told a reporter for…

Apr 20, 2007 1:15 PM CDT

Judge’s Car Damaged by Bullets

It’s unclear if the bullets that damaged the garage and car of an Illinois appeals judge were random acts of violence, according to a police spokeswoman. Police are investigating the shootings on the north side of Chicago this week, the Chicago Tribune reports. The judge was not identified in the…

Apr 18, 2007 3:27 PM CDT

Only Judge in Tiny Mo. Town Dies in Plane Crash

The only judge in a tiny Missouri town died in a private plane crash Monday. Re-elected days earlier to the part-time post he has held in Mountain Grove, Mo., for three decades, 63-year-old William “David” Relyea was in the cockpit of his personal plane when it crashed in Douglas County,…

Apr 17, 2007 7:13 PM CDT

Judicial Ethics Group Shuns ‘Schmucks!’

New York’s Commission on Judicial Conduct and its chair are both exploring their options following a spat over a book called Schmucks! Divorce lawyer Raoul Felder co-wrote the humorous book with comedian Jackie Mason. The commission labels its content “crude, biased, vulgar and otherwise demeaning,” the New York Law Journal…

Apr 17, 2007 12:40 PM CDT

Judge Uses Humor Seriously

Ohio appeals judge Mark Painter thinks legal opinions can be dull and boring, so he tries to liven things up a bit. Painter spurns legalese and quotes experts ranging from Humpty Dumpty to comedian Ron “Tater Salad” White. He travels to seminars around the country on a mission to change…

Apr 16, 2007 3:51 PM CDT