All articles tagged with #judicial conduct
Originally Published 23 days ago — by The Texas Tribune
A Waco judge who refused to marry same-sex couples filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the 2015 Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, arguing it was unconstitutional and that courts lack authority to recognize such rights, aiming to challenge the legal recognition of gay marriage and influence future judicial rulings.
Originally Published 5 months ago — by Courthouse News Service
The DOJ filed a misconduct complaint against Chief Judge James Boasberg for making inappropriate public comments about President Trump and his administration, and for alleged improper influence during immigration-related cases, raising concerns about judicial neutrality and integrity.
Originally Published 1 year ago — by ABC News
New York Judge Mark Grisanti, who was censured for shoving a police officer during a brawl, will be replaced on the bench as his name was not included in the latest list of judicial nominees. Despite his attorney's defense of his overall exemplary service, the incident and his involvement in cases with a business associate led to the decision. Grisanti will remain in his position until a new judge is appointed.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by USA TODAY
The Texas Supreme Court is reconsidering the case of Dianne Hensley, a justice of the peace in Waco who refused to marry same-sex couples even after gay marriage was legalized nationwide. Hensley's lawyer argued that the state's religious freedom law protected her actions, while the judicial conduct commission argued that she violated her judicial oath by discriminating against select Texans. The case highlights the ongoing legal battle between religious freedom and the civil rights of LGBTQ+ individuals.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by PBS NewsHour
The Florida Supreme Court has publicly reprimanded Judge Elizabeth Scherer for showing bias toward the prosecution during the penalty trial of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz. The Judicial Qualifications Commission found that Scherer violated several rules governing judicial conduct, including unduly chastising the defense team, wrongly accusing one attorney of threatening her child, and improperly embracing members of the prosecution after the trial. Despite the stress and tension surrounding the case, judges are expected to ensure due process, order, and decorum. Scherer retired from the bench last month.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by Reuters
The Florida Supreme Court has publicly reprimanded Judge Elizabeth Scherer, who presided over the trial of Nikolas Cruz, the shooter responsible for the Parkland school shooting in 2018. The court found that Scherer violated judicial conduct rules by appearing partial to the prosecution, chastising defense counsel, and embracing victims and prosecutors after sentencing. Scherer resigned in June and had previously been removed from another death penalty case for similar behavior. The court emphasized the importance of judges maintaining due process, order, decorum, and impartiality.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by WFLA
The Florida Supreme Court has publicly reprimanded Judge Elizabeth Scherer for showing bias towards the prosecution during the penalty trial of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz. The Judicial Qualifications Commission found that Scherer violated several rules of judicial conduct, including unduly chastising the defense team, wrongly accusing an attorney of threatening her child, and embracing members of the prosecution after the trial. Scherer retired from the bench last month, and her handling of the case drew both praise and criticism. The Supreme Court had previously removed her from overseeing post-conviction motions in another case due to concerns about her impartiality.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by Yahoo News
The Florida Supreme Court has publicly reprimanded Judge Elizabeth Scherer for showing bias towards the prosecution during the penalty trial of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz. The Judicial Qualifications Commission found that Scherer violated several rules of judicial conduct, including unduly chastising the defense team, wrongly accusing an attorney of threatening her child, and improperly embracing members of the prosecution after the trial. Despite the stress and tension surrounding the case, judges are expected to ensure due process, order, and decorum. Scherer retired from the bench last month.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by CBS News
New Jersey Judge Gary Wilcox is under investigation for creating dozens of TikTok videos, some of which were allegedly made at work and contained "graphic sexual references" and "racist terms." The complaint accuses Wilcox of using an alias to post around 40 videos on TikTok, with 11 of them being deemed inappropriate and bringing disrepute to the Judiciary. The videos reportedly showed Wilcox lip-syncing to popular songs, sometimes while wearing judicial robes, and engaging in explicit content. The judge's lawyer is reviewing the complaint and will file a response.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by NBC News
The Florida judge who oversaw the penalty trial of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz should be publicly reprimanded for showing bias toward the prosecution, failing to curtail “vitriolic statements” directed at Cruz’s attorneys by the victims’ families and sometimes allowing “her emotions to overcome her judgement,” a state commission concluded Monday. The Judicial Qualifications Commission found that Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer violated several rules governing judicial conduct during last year’s trial in her actions toward Cruz’s public defenders.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by CBS News
A state commission has recommended that Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer, who oversaw the penalty trial of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz, should be publicly reprimanded for showing bias toward the prosecution, failing to curtail "vitriolic statements" directed at Cruz's attorneys by the victims' families, and sometimes allowing "her emotions to overcome her judgment." The commission found that Scherer violated several rules governing judicial conduct during last year's trial in her actions toward Cruz's public defenders. Scherer announced last month that she would be retiring from the bench on June 30.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by The Associated Press
The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission has recommended that Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer be publicly reprimanded for showing bias towards the prosecution and failing to curtail "vitriolic statements" directed at Cruz's attorneys by the victims' families during the penalty trial of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz. The commission found that Scherer violated several rules governing judicial conduct during the trial and allowed her emotions to overcome her judgment. Scherer announced last month that she would be retiring from the bench on June 30.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by Yahoo News
The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission has recommended that Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer be publicly reprimanded for showing bias towards the prosecution and failing to curtail "vitriolic statements" directed at Cruz's attorneys by the victims' families during the penalty trial of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz. The commission found that Scherer violated several rules governing judicial conduct during the trial and allowed her emotions to overcome her judgement. Scherer announced last month that she would be retiring from the bench on June 30.