We are able to’t assist however be involved these days concerning the troubling habits by a few of our native judges.
It seems, we aren’t alone. The state company tasked with disciplining jurists for poor habits has seen an uptick this yr in complaints popping out of Dallas County. That’s caught our consideration, and we urge the voting public to take a seat up and take discover as properly.
In simply the final month we’ve famous the next:
- Dallas lawyer Marilynn Mayse in January might be sworn in as choose of County Prison Courtroom No. 1, a misdemeanor courtroom, regardless of nonetheless owing $42,350 in delinquent fines to the Texas Ethics Fee for failing to file marketing campaign finance reviews.
- County Prison Courtroom No. 3 Choose Audrey Moorehead was positioned on one-year deferred-adjudication probation final month after being arrested in December 2020 for allegedly driving drunk and crashing her automotive into a lightweight pole. Not solely does Moorehead preside over DWI instances in her misdemeanor courtroom, but in addition she oversees a specialty courtroom dealing strictly with DWI instances. She was publicly admonished final month by the State Fee on Judicial Conduct. Going through no Republican opponent within the November normal election, she might be sworn in once more in January.
- State District Choose Amber Givens is below investigation by the Texas Rangers for alleged misconduct. Givens is below fireplace by members of the protection bar, who need the felony jurist recused from dozens of their instances. She additionally faces no Republican challenger and might be sworn in once more in January.
The State Fee on Judicial Conduct tells us that thus far this fiscal yr, which ends Aug. 31, it has obtained 132 complaints towards Dallas County judges. That’s regarding as a result of that quantity already is 5 greater than it obtained final yr.
Along with the sanction issued in June towards Moorhead, the fee has issued two others towards Dallas judges this yr.
State District Choose Gena Slaughter of the 191st Civil District Courtroom obtained a public warning in February for owing at one level as much as $11,200 in delinquent marketing campaign finance submitting charges. She has since paid the fines.
County Prison Courtroom No. 10 Choose Etta Mullin in March was publicly reprimanded for poor conduct towards defendants and attorneys in her courtroom. Although she remains to be on the bench, Mullin misplaced within the Might runoff.
We’re alarmed by all of those findings, which come amid accusations by some Dallas County Commissioners that a lot of our legal judges aren’t working exhausting sufficient whilst case backlogs develop.
The judges typically have denied that. However what can’t be denied is that there’s rising proof that one thing is amiss on the courthouse.
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