Seminole County judge suspended by Florida Supreme Court

The conduct of a Central Florida judge leads to a suspension.

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Seminole County judge suspended by Florida Supreme Court

New Mexico judge suspended by Supreme Court

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New Mexico judge suspended by Supreme Court

Hancock County probate court finds temporary help after judge suspended

by Emily Allen

William Blaisdell answers questions from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court in Portland on Tuesday. Blaisdell, a probate judge in Hancock County, was accused of not paying child support or filing his taxes and faces sanctions or removal. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

The registrar of Hancock County’s probate court says she doesn’t expect any disruptions after the state supreme court suspended its lone judge for four months because she had anticipated his removal.

Registrar Juliette Wilbur said she quickly reached out to the Maine Associations of Registrars of Probate in spring, as a judicial review committee was recommending the Supreme Judicial Court discipline Judge William Blaisdell for misconduct.

Now that the high court has suspended him, probate judges from other counties will step in to cover weekly hearings and the office will continue processing all administrative claims that don’t require a judge’s decision, Wilbur said.

Blaisdell, who has been Hancock County’s elected probate judge since 2015, was suspended on Sept. 17 after the supreme court found that he had not paid at least three years’ worth of taxes and was withholding child support payments from his ex-wife. He was admonished for both in rulings by two Belfast district judges, one of whom reported him to the high court’s Judicial Conduct Committee last September, according to court records.

To “emphasize the gravity of the misconduct,” the court ordered Blaisdell to forfeit $10,000 from his salary, an amount equivalent to four months of his judicial pay. He also faces another eight months of suspension if he commits any new misconduct.

Blaisdell has not resigned and is allowed to return to his position on Jan. 21, 2025. His term runs until 2026.

He did not respond Monday to a voicemail left with a number listed for his private law firm. Blaisdell was sanctioned by the Maine bar in August but is allowed to continue practicing law under supervision.

Probate judges are elected every four years and serve part time in each Maine county, handling petitions for adoptions, guardianships, conservatorships, estates, trusts and other family matters. In Hancock County, court hearings are held once a week, on Tuesdays. So even though the court will be without its own probate judge until next year, she expects it’ll be easy to get those cases covered.

“We had an idea that this was coming, so it was imperative that we didn’t have a backlog of undecided cases that the new interchange judges would not have as much background on,” Wilbur said.

Hancock County is on track to handle roughly 500 new cases this year, including informal cases that are handled administratively without a judge, she said.  She works with three other clerks, one of whom is part time.

Catherine Moore, who is registrar of probate in Lincoln County, says this process for “interchange” judges is rarely invoked but it can also be used when a probate judge is sick or otherwise unavailable.

“It’s just a rare thing and we’re lucky that other judges can step up and help,” Moore said.

PUBLIC CONFIDENCE

It’s highly unusual for a probate judge in Maine to be disciplined.

From 2016-22, the years for which data is readily available, the Judicial Conduct Committee sent only eight complaints – lodged against a total of six judges – to the Supreme Judicial Court. Among those disciplined was former York County Probate Judge Robert Nadeau, who was suspended from the bench for 30 days in 2016 for repeatedly violating the Maine Judicial Code of Conduct. In 2017, Nadeau was suspended from practicing law for two years.

In that same time, the committee dismissed nearly 650 such complaints, according to an analysis of the committee’s annual reports.

The committee’s request to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court earlier this year was also unusually aggressive, compared to previous forms of discipline. They called on the court to do whatever they could to strip Blaisdell of his judgeship.

The court ultimately agreed that there was too much risk in attempting to remove Blaisdell. The most it can do is request the Legislature impeach him, and if lawmakers were to decide otherwise, it “may be viewed as an abdication of our power, and indeed our obligation, to discipline judges where warranted,” the justices wrote in their September ruling.

“We cannot expect the public to have respect and confidence in our courts when a judge himself flouts court orders,” their order states.

Wilbur said that to her knowledge, there are no cases left undecided from before Blaisdell’s suspension. If any come forward, they’ll be prioritized.

But after learning about the allegations, one woman now questions if Blaisdell mismanaged her case.

Michelle Gibson said she didn’t know of Blaisdell’s misconduct at the time he was considering her case over her father’s estate, and only learned of Blaisdell’s unpaid taxes and child support from recent news coverage.

In hindsight, Gibson said, Blaisdell was dismissive and seemed to rush through her case.

The whole process – spending time and money to fix up her father’s house to be sold and navigating the probate system without a lawyer – was exhausting, she said. Sorting through his estate involved a lot of uncomfortable interactions between Gibson and her siblings, all of whom had just lost their father and had significant disagreements regarding his estate.

“It’s been very mentally draining to try and do everything and make sure I’m finding the right paperwork, and making sure I’m doing the right thing,” Gibson said.

Blaisdell held hearings in February in April. Her siblings were notified, she said, but not all of them showed up. So even though he approved her petition to take over the estate, it didn’t address all of the issues she raised, Gibson said.

Now she is left wondering if Blaisdell was distracted by his personal matters, and if he properly oversaw her case, given his misconduct.

“We had a very unique case, and I just feel that when we were in there, I don’t think he was giving it his full 100%,” she said. “I don’t think that he knew the case. I think he had so much other stuff going on, that he was hearing that stuff for the first time.”

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Hancock County probate court finds temporary help after judge suspended

Judge suspended for 1 week in disciplinary case

By The Princeton Clarion 

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Supreme Court ordered a seven-day unpaid suspension from office from Jan. 30 to Feb. 6 for Gibson Circuit Judge Jeffrey Meade, after finding that he engaged in judicial misconduct.

The Indiana Supreme Court’s judicial discipline action published Thursday says Meade engaged in judicial misconduct by making intemperate comments from the bench; by conducting an off-the-record and unrecorded Child in Need of Services hearing where he ruled on substantive motions; and by failing to provide all parties in the CHINS case with sufficient notice in order to fairly participate in the hearing.

The finding stems from charges filed in December by the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications, alleging misconduct related to the handling of specific paternity and Child in Need of Services cases from 2015 to February 2022.

According to the court, Judge Meade agreed that his conduct was prejudicial to the administration of justice, and in a conditional agreement, he accepted responsibility for conduct, expressed remorse, cooperated with the commission, completed an eight-session coaching intensive for judicial officers, and is engaged in counseling services.

Other mitigating factors, according to the finding, included the appointment of a new magistrate to serve Gibson County’s Circuit and Superior courts and to handle many family law matters. The local circuit court also has updated technology to better accommodate remote hearings on the record.

No aggravating factors were cited beyond previous caution letters in 2008 and 2019 and a deferred resolution in 2017 for “demeanor issues” and “non-judicious behavior,” according to the finding.

The full finding is published at https://public.courts.in.gov/Decisions

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Judge suspended for 1 week in disciplinary case

Suspended Seneca County judge has yet to surrender his license

TIFFIN, Ohio — A Seneca County judge who was suspended one year by the Ohio Supreme Court last month has yet to surrender his license.

Judge Mark Repp was disciplined for holding a spectator in contempt in March 2020 and forcing her to take drug and pregnancy tests. According to court records, Repp was ordered to turn over his attorney registration card.

From the court records:

"It is ordered by the court ... that respondent show cause on or before 20 days from the date of this order why respondent should not be found in contempt for failure to fully comply with this court's order of November 9, 2021, to wit: failure to surrender his attorney registration card and failure to file an affidavit of compliance on or before December 9, 2021." 

According to court documents, Judge Repp called Alexzandria Orta out from the bench and referred to her as a drug addict during an unrelated hearing for her boyfriend. Judge Repp suspected she was high and ordered her to take a drug test. When she refused and said she was not on drugs, the judge sentenced her to 10 days in jail.

A prosecutor dropped the charges the next day.

Orta was not on trial or on probation and had never been charged with a drug-related offense. She was subjected to several invasive searches, including pregnancy tests and an MRI to check if drugs were inside her body.

Her attorney said Orta was detained for approximately 24 hours. Repp has admitted in court documents that he treated Orta inappropriately but contends that the incident was an aberration.

Repp was suspended one year on Nov. 9 after an investigation by the Board of Professional Conduct. 

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Suspended Seneca County judge has yet to surrender his license

Long Island judge pleads guilty to stealing his neighbor’s panties, likely to get probation

By Larry McShane

Suffolk County Judge, Robert Cicale, leaves First District Court in Central Islip, after being arraigned for breaking into a home and raiding a woman's underwear drawer. March 30, 2018.(David Wexler/for New York Daily News)

An undies-obsessed Suffolk County judge has pleaded guilty to surreptitiously plucking his neighbor’s panties from her hamper last year.

Robert Cicale, who was suspended after his arrest as a serial lingerie larcenist, confessed to the creepy crime Friday in Suffolk County District Court. The 50-year-old jurist entered his plea to a felony count of attempted burglary, and is likely to receive a sentence of five years probation at his Nov. 15 sentencing.

Cicale was carrying a raincoat, its pockets packed with previously purloined panties, when he was arrested last May for raiding the hamper of his 23-year-old East Islip neighbor, who was once a co-worker at the Islip Town attorney’s office.

Cicale confessed to raiding the woman’s hamper for her panties on multiple occasions before he was finally nabbed.

“He violated the laws, the public trust and the victims’ sense of security,” Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini said in a statement. “(The plea) holds him accountable for his actions and serves justice.”

Defense attorney Michael J. Brown told reporters that his client had dealt with some mental health issues in the last 18 months. The lawyer added that Cicale had a 26-year history of service, working as a Legal Aid attorney, the lawyer for the town of Islip and a county judge, prior to his fall from grace.

The plea from the married father-of-three was expected to come with conditions imposed on sex offenders, prosecutors said.

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Long Island judge pleads guilty to stealing his neighbor’s panties, likely to get probation

Indiana Supreme Court suspends Hendricks County judge for 45 days

Hendricks Superior Judge Robert W. Freese has been suspended from judicial office without pay for 45 days after appointing a friend as a trustee of an estate case he was presiding over and failing to take action when the friend did not fulfill his duties, resulting in a “massive theft.”

Freese’s judicial suspension will take effect July 8 and expire Aug. 22, according to the disciplinary opinion handed down by the Indiana Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The court’s Commission on Judicial Qualifications filed disciplinary charges stemming from two counts of misconduct against Freese in January. The judicial discipline stems from Freese’s longtime friendship with Stephen Scott, “one of his closest friends,” according to the suspension order.

Scott pleaded guilty to federal embezzlement charges in 2017 and was sentenced to 30 months in prison by Indiana Southern District Court Judge Tanya Walton.

Their relationship was such that in 2004, Freese used his line of credit to help Scott buy a home, and together the men executed and recorded a $122,400 mortgage in 2005.

Seventeen days after the mortgage was executed, Freese appointed Scott as trustee over the Herbert Hochreiter Living Trust in one of Freese’s cases. The  parties did not object to Scott’s appointment, but Freese did not disclose their financial arrangement.

Then, when Hochreiter died later in 2005, Freese appointed Scott as personal representative of the $2.3 million estate, again failing to disclose the financial arrangement.

Throughout his time as trustee and personal representative, Scott regularly failed to provide the required accounting. When Scott did file a partial, defective accounting in 2009, Freese granted him an extension over the objection of one of the beneficiaries, who believed gold bars were missing from the trust.

Then, in 2010, Scott moved to withdraw as trustee, but the beneficiaries objected to him doing so without filing a completing accounting and tax returns. Scott, however, relocated to Florida and never responded to the objection.

Scott’s counsel then began serving as successor trustee and personal representative, and for roughly the next two years, the former trustee was unresponsive to summonses. Further, the successor trustee reported that the trust checking account had only $8.27 and the savings account had been closed for more than six months. In contrast, Scott’s attorney believed the trust should have held $50,000 to $60,000 in cash.

“Judge Freese ‘took no action or minimal action’ on those reports,” the Supreme Court wrote in the Tuesday opinion. “But while the cases were pending and Scott was living in Florida, he left Scott a phone message stating he was concerned that Scott was behaving bizarrely, and that he ‘would never have thought [Scott] would have stolen anything.’”

Freese eventually ordered Scott to appear in person for a show-cause hearing in fall 2012, but Scott again failed to show up. Thus, Freese entered a nearly $580,000 judgment against his friend, finding $140,550 was disbursed from the trust to Scott’s personal accounts between September 2007 and August 2011, on top of $101,217 in illegitimate wire transfers or cash withdrawals during that time.

Additionally, Freese found $16,800 was transferred from the estate to Scott in January 2010, and the remaining bank balance of $6,517.08 was taken by an unexplained cash withdrawal.

Freese did not refer his findings to local prosecutors or the U.S. attorney, the court wrote.

The stolen funds have not been recovered.

The parties cited no aggravators against Freese, but listed several mitigators, including his “lengthy and distinguished judicial career” and lack of prior discipline. Freese, the former president of the Indiana Judges Association, was also credited for his “active leadership in judicial, legal, and civil-service organizations.”

“They also agree his misconduct was not deliberate or willful and brought him no financial benefit or personal gain, and that the Judge relied heavily on the attorneys to file pleadings in the Trust because it was unsupervised,” the court wrote.

In agreeing to the parties’ recommendation of a 45-day sentence, the justices said such a sanction is “very severe.” Even so, “the Judge’s misconduct ultimately enabled a massive theft.”

“The purpose of judicial discipline is not primarily to punish a judge, but rather to preserve the integrity of an public confidence in the judicial system and, when necessary, safeguard the bench and public from those who are unfit,’” the court wrote. “The sanction must be designed to deter similar misconduct and assure the public that judicial misconduct will not be condone.

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Indiana Supreme Court suspends Hendricks County judge for 45 days

Judge Humke temporarily suspended pending charges for allegedly mishandling cases

Washoe County Family Court Judge David Humke was temporarily suspended after he was again accused of mishandling child support and custody cases within in his department.

Humke, who’s served on the bench for about three-and-a-half years, was suspended with pay last week pending formal charges from the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline.

Attempts at reaching Humke for comment were unsuccessful Thursday afternoon.

According to the order of suspension filed on Nov. 2, the commission found Humke lacked knowledge over family law, which affected his ability to handle cases in family court.

The commission also found he had court clerks, attorneys and other parties involved decide matters on certain cases.

Humke also allegedly set unnecessary status hearings and never entered final orders in some custody cases, prolonging those cases for years.

He recently served a three-month suspension without pay and was fined $1,000 in a separate but similar case. Earlier this year, the disciplinary commission found he had mismanaged his department, which had processed about one-tenth of the 700 cases processed by other departments.

They also found he had failed to discipline a former judicial assistant, who was accused of inappropriate behavior.

Humke had just returned from serving that suspension when the presiding judge of the Second Judicial District Court Family Division filed another complaint against him.

During his absence, Senior Judge Deborah Schumacher was ordered to oversee family court cases within Humke’s department. In that time, she found his department had issued incomplete or incorrect orders in several child custody and support cases.

She then told Judge Bridget Robb, who conducted a six-month audit of the minutes of all the hearings Humke presided over. She looked at the cases he handled before he was suspended in July.

She then checked the status of several of those cases and filed a complaint. At a public hearing last week, Robb testified Humke set status hearings without making decisions, forcing the people involved to return to court several times.

She testified many low-income parents were forced to take a full day off work to appear in court.

“Even when (Humke) makes decisions in cases, the evidence demonstrates that they are often legally incorrect,” the commission said in the court order.

Humke also allegedly held trials without ever notifying the parties involved, “depriving them of their opportunity to be heard,” the court order said.

Last month, Chief Judge Scott Freeman issued an administrative order, which reassigned a chunk of Humke’s caseloads, such as divorce and custody cases, to other family court judges.

Freeman also assigned Humke a mentor, who then gave him advice. But Humke never followed that advice when he returned to the bench in October after serving his previous suspension, the order said.

Robb said Humke didn’t educate himself on family laws. She also accused him of showing up unprepared at his hearings.

“These failures diminished the public’s respect for the Bench and are an embarrassment to me, and I believe, to my colleagues,” the order said Robb wrote in her complaint.

The disciplinary commission has 60 days to submit a formal statement of charges from the time the suspension order was filed.

Humke could face a wide range of consequences, from a public reprimand or a fine to the permanent removal from the bench.

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Judge Humke temporarily suspended pending charges for allegedly mishandling cases

Texas County Judge Faces Felony Charges

A Texas judge was suspended without pay this week after being arrested on felony burglary and tampering with government records charges, an indictment he calls a “ridiculous” political attack meant to damage his candidacy in a runoff election.

The Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct suspended San Jacinto County Judge John Lovett, 51, on Monday after a grand jury indicted him for entering County Clerk Dawn Wright’s office after hours in July last year and using Wright’s timestamp to approve a commissioners court agenda.

The suspension order was made public on Thursday. If convicted, he faces up to 3½ years in state prison and a fine of up to $18,000.

As the county judge, Lovett served in administrative and judicial roles. He led the commissioners court, the county’s executive board, and also presided over criminal, civil and probate cases at the county seat Coldspring, 60 miles north of Houston.

A phone call to his office Thursday was not answered.

Voters elected Lovett, a Republican, in November 2014, though he is not a licensed attorney. A layman can be a county judge in Texas. His term expires in December.

Lovett has a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Texas A&M University and worked in the financial services industry for more than 20 years before his election.

He placed second, with 226 votes, in the March Republican primary for San Jacinto County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1, and qualified for the May 22 runoff election.

Arrested Monday, Lovett posted bail and told local media he thinks the charges are political gamesmanship.

“In the full measure of time, I will be found not guilty of these ridiculous charges. I find it suspect the timing of this indictment. An incident that supposedly happened close to a year ago and they wait a month before a runoff election to bring it before a grand jury,” he told KTRK-TV, Houston’s ABC affiliate.

Lovett said that as county judge he is free to enter Wright’s office any time. Though he got into the office with his master key, he set off a silent alarm that alerted law enforcement. Wright asked the sheriff’s office to investigate, local newspapers reported.

Lovett, who also was charged with misdemeanor forgery, said he will be vindicated.

“The clerk of the court is subservient to the court,” Lovett told KTRK. “If I need to go into the office of the court, I think I have every right to do so. The sheriff’s office is investigating the alarm call. I don’t believe they are investigating any crimes. I don’t believe there was any crime committed.”

San Jacinto County, pop. 28,000, is named for the Battle of San Jacinto, a clash in 1836 near present-day Houston in which Anglo and Tejano soldiers under the command of Gen. Sam Houston routed Gen. Antonio López de Santa Ana’s troops.
 
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Texas County Judge Faces Felony Charges

Panel recommends 6-day suspension for Indiana judge

HARTFORD CITY, Ind. — A state panel has recommended that an Indiana judge be suspended for six days without pay following charges filed by the Indiana Judicial Qualifications Commission.

The commission filed the four misconduct charges against Blackford Circuit Court Judge Dean Young in June over a dispute with his county’s clerk.

The commission alleged Young barred then-Blackford County Clerk Derinda Shady from the courthouse while she was hospitalized in August 2015 with chest pains she suffered after refusing to attend a meeting with Young and Superior Court Judge John N. Barry without a witness. The charges also allege that Young’s conduct didn’t promote public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary.

The panel, which was composed of three judges, said Young’s “misconduct adversely affected the integrity of and respect for the judiciary.” However, the panel also said Young’s “misconduct” wasn’t motivated “by a desire for financial personal or material gain.”

The state Supreme Court will decide what action, if any, will be taken against Young, The Star Press reported.

Attorneys for Young and the commission said they believe the recommended suspension is appropriate.

Young, a Republican, served 12 years in the Indiana House of Representatives before being elected as the circuit court judge in 2006.

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Panel recommends 6-day suspension for Indiana judge

Circuit judge accused of not paying taxes agrees to resign

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A suspended Arkansas judge accused of not filing or paying his taxes for several years has agreed to resign from the bench.

The Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission said Friday that Saline County Circuit Judge Bobby McCallister will resign, effective Dec. 15. The panel says it unanimously accepted McCallister’s agreement to step down.

Prosecutors say McCallister failed to pay or file taxes from 2012 to 2014 and in 2016. He’s been charged with four felony counts of failing to pay or file taxes.

The Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission said McCallister was “candid” and cooperative with the panel during its investigation.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson will appoint a replacement to the position.

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Circuit judge accused of not paying taxes agrees to resign

Supporters hold rally for suspended Goodsprings judge

Goodsprings residents rallied Saturday in support of longtime judge Dawn Haviland, who is suspended with pay after state disciplinary investigators slapped her with a laundry list of ethics charges.

“Come out and show your support for our friend and neighbor who is fighting false and malicious charges before the Nevada Judicial Discipline Commission,” read fliers distributed ahead of the afternoon event.

The rally was held at Sandy Valley Ranch near Goodsprings. Attendees were offered free food, beer and wine. They were asked to bring a check to donate to Haviland’s defense fund.

Haviland has served as Goodsprings justice of the peace since 1999. She is accused of sweeping ethics violations that include sealing her then-son-in-law’s criminal records, ordering staff to run background checks on her friend’s boyfriend, and using vulgar language to bully employees.

Haviland, in a 14-page response to the charges, answered in detail to each allegation. She blames the charges on a disgruntled employee whose testimony is cited in the state judicial discipline commission’s formal statement of charges.

A disciplinary hearing is scheduled for August. Haviland faces anything from a private reprimand to removal from office, or the charges could be dismissed.

“I would say that Dawn Haviland is the most respected person in Sandy Valley,” said Haviland’s defense attorney, Al Marquis. “She has done so much for the community without ever having asked for anything in return.”

Marquis said Haviland was instrumental in getting a charter school in Sandy Valley so that students did not need to be bused to and from Las Vegas.

“People in the community just want to rally together … to show that they’re behind her,” Marquis said.

The defense lawyer said roughly 100 people responded that they plan to attend the event.

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Supporters hold rally for suspended Goodsprings judge

El Paso County judge suspended pending disciplinary hearing

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (The Gazette) - A nine-year El Paso County judge has been suspended with pay pending a disciplinary hearing before a state judicial commission.

Judge Jonathan Walker was suspended Nov. 8 by the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline, a copy of the commission's order shows.

Grounds for the suspension weren't disclosed. Rob McCallum, a Colorado State Judicial Branch spokesman, said he didn't know the cause, and 4th Judicial District Administrator Danny Davis couldn't be reached for comment.

A phone message left on the commission's voice mail wasn't returned.

Walker, who previously practiced as a deputy state public defender and as a private defense attorney, was appointed to the county bench in 2007. He served with the Army Special Forces in Southeast Asia "in the Vietnam era," according to his biography on the state judicial branch website.

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El Paso County judge suspended pending disciplinary hearing

Missouri judge won't fight 6-month suspension

TROY, Mo. — An eastern Missouri judge will not fight a six-month suspension without pay recommended by the Missouri Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Lincoln County Circuit Judge Chris Kunza Mennemeyer filed a statement with the Missouri Supreme Court on Oct. 18 saying she would neither file a brief on her own behalf nor request an oral argument. Her lawyer, however, said she does not accept all of the factual findings of the commission.

The state Supreme Court has final word on discipline.

The commission cited concern Mennemeyer improperly delayed criminal cases during a legal dispute with the public defender’s office, which meant extra months in jail for some defendants. It also found Mennemeyer tried to coerce and intimidate public defenders.

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Missouri judge won't fight 6-month suspension

Officials agree to find quick replacement for indicted Tennessee judge

KNOXVILLE — After hearing complaints of an overburdened court, Campbell County commissioners agreed to move quickly to find a replacement for a judge who is under criminal indictment and facing an ethics probe.

Eighth Judicial District Chancellor Elizabeth Asbury told commissioners Monday that the county general sessions court is short-staffed and needs someone to take over the duties for Judge Amanda Sammons as soon as possible, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported.

"I don't think anybody in this room... knows the number of people who come through (Campbell County) general sessions court," Asbury said. "Those people (awaiting hearings) are sitting over there for half a day because we can't be in two places at one time."

Commissioners said they will both interview candidates and pick someone for the interim position Monday.

Sammons was suspended from the bench last month after a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation probe led to an indictment on four felony counts of official misconduct. She is accused of lying and misusing her authority in two cases.

Sammons' lawyer, Wade Davies, says Sammons is innocent and can show she hasn't committed any offense.

The judge is also under an ethics probe by the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct involving numerous complaints filed by citizens, attorneys and at least one fellow judge.

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Officials agree to find quick replacement for indicted Tennessee judge

EDITORIAL: Judicial discipline

Las Vegas Review-Journal

The state Judicial Discipline Commission last week dropped the hammer on Catherine Ramsey, a North Las Vegas Municipal Court judge.

After Judge Ramsey admitted to seven charges of professional misconduct, the panel barred her from seeking re-election next year and suspended her without pay for the final three months of her six-year term.

While it would be preferable if voters determined Judge Ramsey’s professional future, the commission’s action sends a strong message that judges have a responsibility to both the public and the legal profession to maintain high standards of integrity.

And while we’re on the topic of judicial integrity, let’s hope the commission also takes a hard look at the behavior of Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Conrad Hafen.

Judge Hafen in May garnered national attention when he ordered a public defender handcuffed and confined to the jury box after she tried to argue on behalf of her client. A group of defense attorney’s subsequently filed a complaint with the Judicial Discipline Commission arguing the judge’s actions showed “a complete disregard for the law.”

Then, earlier this month during a preliminary hearing, the judge banished the relatives of murder victims from his court and threatened to have an R-J reporter arrested for recording audio of the proceedings, a routine practice.

Judge Hafen failed to advance past the June primary election in his effort to secure a second term, so the discipline commission may be inclined to pass on the matter. In fact, though, a strong statement from the panel acknowledging that his behavior was inexcusable and unprofessional might go a long way toward deterring other jurists who may have similar proclivities.

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EDITORIAL: Judicial discipline

Campbell County judge indicted for official misconduct, suspended

Amanda Sammons

JACKSBORO (WATE) – A Campbell County judge was suspended Wednesday after being indicted on counts of official misconduct.

General Sessions Judge Amanda Sammons, 41, faces four counts of official misconduct after investigators say she intentionally tried to harm three women. TBI Special Agents began investigating Judge Amanda Sammons. During the course of the investigation, Agents developed information that from September 2014 to January 2015, Sammons made rulings that exceeded her official power as a General Sessions Court Judge.

Krista Leigh Smith was criminally charged by Sammons. Investigators say the charge nor the bond were not based on information in Smith’s warrant, record or hearing.

Also, an order to show cause was made by Sammons against Kristie Anderson and Julie Lester on why they should not be held in contempt for not appearing in court. Investigators say these actions were also based on information not in their records.

Sammons is on interim suspension and will not be able to preside over a court, issue warrants or any other judicial duty until the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct says otherwise.
Wade Davies, the attorney for Judge Sammons released the following statement:

I have been informed that Judge Sammons was charged. While this is disappointing, Judge Sammons is prepared to show she has not committed any offense. Judge Sammons will plead not guilty, and we will work to get this case tried quickly so that she can go back to carrying out the job the people of Campbell County elected her to do. We understand the judge will be temporarily suspended on the basis of being accused. Judge Sammons is eager to get this resolved and not to disrupt the work of the court.

Sammons turned herself in to the Campbell County Jail and was released. She is scheduled to be in court on Thursday, August 18 for her arraignment.

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Campbell County judge indicted for official misconduct, suspended

Tallapoosa Co. probate judge suspended over sexually charged messages

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama probate judge accused of sending sexually charged messages and nude photos to a woman he met when she went to his office to wed another man has agreed to a six-month unpaid suspension, his lawyer said Thursday.

Tallapoosa County Probate Judge Leon Archer regrets his actions and cooperated fully with a probe that resulted in charges filed Wednesday by the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission, said Randy Haynes, an attorney for Archer.

The complaint said Archer met a woman in 2013 when she was 34 and went to the probate office to wed a 68-year-old man. Archer performed the ceremony and noted the large age difference between the two, the complaint said.

The wedding was soon annulled, according to the complaint. In January, Archer began sending the woman sexually explicit messages and nude photos on Facebook, investigators alleged.

The complaint includes more than 60 pages of printed messages between Archer and the woman, including ones in which he allegedly wrote: "I want to hear you moan" and "what happened to us hooking up."

The messages ended after an east Alabama newspaper, The Alexander City Outlook, reported on them. The newspaper reported that Archer had admitted his actions at the time and apologized.

"Judge Archer made some bad mistakes with a person who admitted having an agenda to discredit him," Haynes said.

Archer, who has been married more than four decades, never had any physical contact with the woman, Haynes said.

"It was all on Facebook," said Haynes.

The judge, who is not a lawyer, reached a settlement with judicial investigators in which he agreed to a six-month suspension without pay, Haynes said. The suspension will begin Monday provided the Alabama Court of the Judiciary, which hears administrative cases against judges, approves the settlement during a hearing, Haynes said.

"He will go back on full status in February," said Haynes.

Archer, a Republican who took office in January 2013, is among the Alabama probate judges who quit performing marriages last year rather than allow same-sex couples to wed in his office. His staff does issue wedding licenses for same-sex couples, however.

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Tallapoosa Co. probate judge suspended over sexually charged messages

Florida Supreme Court Suspends Miami-Dade Judge

MIAMI (CBSMiami/NSF) – The Florida Supreme Court suspended a Miami-Dade County judge after two incidents last month in which she appeared impaired — including an incident in which she had to be removed from the bench and driven home by a bailiff.

On Tuesday, an order handed down suspended Judge Jacqueline Schwartz with pay, according to the Supreme Court’s website.

An investigative panel had recommended the suspension to the Florida Supreme Court.

The allegations against Schwartz came four months after she was disciplined by the Supreme Court for a 2014 incident in which she was accused of using profanity and threatening to sue a convenience-store owner who had declined to allow her to display a campaign sign at the store.

In the new case, an investigative panel of the state Judicial Qualifications Commission said Schwartz was observed “acting in an irrational and disorderly manner” on March 18th at a Coconut Grove restaurant. One of the documents said Schwartz “was observed to be impaired, spilling a glass of wine on herself, and pouring water on the floor of the restaurant while attempting to refill a water glass. Patrons, and staff also observed Schwartz to be unsteady on her feet, swaying, stumbling, slurring her words, and (having) twitching eyes.

When the restaurant staff decided that they should no longer provide wine to Schwartz, she became upset, and began yelling and swearing at the wait-staff in full view of the restaurant guests.”

When police arrived, the judge allegedly called them “pigs” who couldn’t do anything to her because she was a judge.

Schwartz reported the incident to the Judicial Qualifications Commission on March 21st. A week later, the investigative panel said, Schwartz appeared impaired while presiding over a criminal traffic docket. The chief judge became involved and sent her home, with the assistance of a bailiff who drove Schwartz’s car.

During a hearing, Schwartz attributed her conduct to a prescription medication she had started taking, according to the documents.

The Supreme Court has the ultimate authority to discipline judges. In December, Schwartz received a public reprimand from the Supreme Court, which also imposed a $10,000 fine on the judge and suspended her from the bench for 30 days.

“This is misconduct we cannot and will not tolerate,” said Chief Justice Jorge Labarga during the December hearing.

Along with allegations about the 2014 convenience-store incident, Schwartz also was accused of improperly handling papers in a court file.

The News Service of Florida last year found that the number of judges facing sanctions had jumped and that the high court was more often seeking harsher penalties than those originally proposed by the Judicial Qualifications Commission.

Judge Schwartz will face the equivalent of a public trial before the Judicial Qualifications Commission in Miami-Dade County. The commission will then recommend a punishment to the Florida Supreme Court.

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Florida Supreme Court Suspends Miami-Dade Judge

Suspended judge replaced during investigation in Oconee Co.

A Order released today by the South Carolina Courts states that Associate Probate Judge Karen Lee has been appointed by the court system to lead in Oconee County.

This is after Probate Judge Kenneth Johns was put on interim suspension on April 12.

That suspension required him to deliver all books, records, bank account records, funds, property, and documents relating to his judicial office to the Associate Pobate Judge.

Johns is also suspended from access to judicial accounts.

The order does not detail what Johns is being investigated for, only refers to ruling 17b, which states the following:

(b) Other Misconduct. Upon receipt of sufficient evidence demonstrating that a judge poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the public or to the administration of justice, the Supreme Court may place the judge on interim suspension pending a final determination in any proceeding under these rules.

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Suspended judge replaced during investigation in Oconee Co.