Tag Archives: State Commission on Judicial Conduct

John Devine continues to be an ethical quagmire

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This guy, I swear. In January 2022, Elvie Kingston’s dementia took a turn for the worse. The 76-year-old millionaire and longtime conservative activist was declared by a doctor to be partially incapacitated, after which she signed legal documents that removed … Continue reading →

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DUI charge dismissed against Judge Kelli Johnson

Posted on September 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This took an unexpected turn. Judge Kelli Johnson’s misdemeanor driving while intoxicated charge was dismissed Tuesday after a toxicology report failed to reveal any signs of alcohol or drugs in her system at the time of a June arrest — … Continue reading →

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More on Judge Kelli Johnson

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Not great. Top judicial leaders in Houston have effectively removed hundreds of pending cases from state district Judge Kelli Johnson and assigned them to other jurists in the wake of two recent DWI stops — one on June 25 that … Continue reading →

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Judge Aguilar back on the bench

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As expected following the dismissal of the charges against him. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct has lifted the suspension of a Harris County felony court judge after a misdemeanor assault case against him was dismissed. The chair of the … Continue reading →

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Domestic violence charges dismissed against Judge Frank Aguilar

Posted on July 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. A misdemeanor assault case that led to the suspension of a Harris County felony judge was dismissed Wednesday by Galveston County prosecutors, court records show. Prosecutors contend probable cause exists against 228th District Court Judge Frank Aguilar, who was … Continue reading →

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Judge Kelli Johnson appears in court

Posted on July 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I wish her well in resolving this. Judge Kelli Johnson, 52, entered the misdemeanor courtroom — 11 floors below her 178th District Court bench — to face an elected official like herself as hundreds of defendants have done in her … Continue reading →

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Anti-gay Waco JP gets her lawsuit reinstated

Posted on June 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Boy, the State Supreme Court sure had a banner day on Friday. The state’s highest court ruled Friday that a Waco judge who had refused to officiate same-sex marriages had a right to sue the State Commission on Judicial Conduct … Continue reading →

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Criminal court judge Kelli Johnson arrested for DUI

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Not good. A state district judge behind some of Houston’s most high profile criminal trials was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after weeks of spotty attendance on the bench and a traffic stop by law enforcement in April. Houston … Continue reading →

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Judge Aguilar suspended

Posted on February 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. A judge charged in January after a domestic violence allegation by his girlfriend has been suspended from the bench with pay, officials said. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct signed a suspension order Wednesday against 228th District Court … Continue reading →

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County criminal court judge arrested on domestic violence charge

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Not great. Deputies in Galveston arrested a Harris County district court judge on New Year’s Eve following a domestic violence allegation, according to authorities. Frank Aguilar, the elected jurist in the 228th District Court, was arrested by Galveston County Sheriff’s … Continue reading →

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Skeet Jones indicted and suspended

Posted on November 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Have you been waiting for a Skeet Jones update? Well, you’re in luck. State regulators have suspended without pay the top elected official of Texas’s least-populated county after a grand jury indicted him for cattle rustling. Judge Skeet Jones, patriarch … Continue reading →

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Anti-gay Waco JP’s lawsuit heard by SCOTx

Posted on October 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Now we wait. Texas Supreme Court justices Wednesday questioned whether a Waco justice of the peace should remain under threat of a judicial oversight body’s sanctions if she continues refusing to marry gay couples. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton’s sleaze goes beyond his (alleged) crimes and misdemeanors

Posted on September 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder, in case you needed it. When Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton held a news conference in May decrying state lawmakers’ anticipated vote to impeach him, he framed the decision as not only a threat to his political … Continue reading →

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Anti-gay Waco JP’s lawsuit to be considered by SCOTx

Posted on June 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The end of the line one way or the other. The Texas Supreme Court will review a case involving a Waco justice of the peace’s refusal to perform same-sex weddings. McLennan County Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley sued the … Continue reading →

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Anti-gay Waco JP’s lawsuit still tossed

Posted on November 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. An Austin intermediate appellate court has upheld a Travis County judge’s decision to throw out McLennan County Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley’s lawsuit against the state panel that sanctioned her in 2019 for refusing to perform same-sex weddings. … Continue reading →

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Hopefully the last time she will appear before a judge

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

For her sake, I hope it is. Years of legal trouble for a former Harris County civil judge have come to an end with three years probation. Alexandra Smoots on Wednesday wept as Judge Chuck Silverman granted her deferred adjudication … Continue reading →

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Charges against Judge Jordan dropped

Posted on July 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

That was quick. Just four days after being indicted and arrested, Harris County misdemeanor court Judge Darrell Jordan saw an official oppression charge against him dropped. Fort Bend County prosecutors on Friday announced they were dropping the misdemeanor charge against … Continue reading →

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More on Jordan and Dolcefino

Posted on July 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Dolcefino speaks. Former TV reporter Wayne Dolcefino has called for the resignation of Harris County misdemeanor Judge Darrell Jordan, alleging a personal vendetta led the jurist to wrongly hold him in contempt of court in 2020. Dolcefino’s demand came after … Continue reading →

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The national media discovers Skeet Jones

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s NBC News with a nice, juicy story. Lawmen came to remote Loving County, Texas, on Friday to arrest the county judge, a former sheriff’s deputy and two ranch hands on one of Texas’ oldest crimes — cattle theft. Judge … Continue reading →

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The cattle-rustling County Judge

Posted on May 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

“Bonkers” is the first word that came to mind as I read this Twitter thread and the linked story at the end of it: . #BREAKING: Loving County Judge Skeet Jones was arrested earlier today by the Texas and Southwestern … Continue reading →

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Two judges sanctioned by Judicial Conduct Commission

Posted on May 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not a good look, and really bad timing for one of them. A pair of Harris County civil court judges have been sanctioned for behavior in their courtrooms, with one judge allowing the shackling of attorneys and another erupting into … Continue reading →

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County Court judge Barnstone resigns

Posted on July 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. A Harris County civil court judge has resigned amid several allegations of judicial misconduct, including showing bias or prejudice toward litigants and attorneys on the basis of race, sex or socioeconomic status, according to the State Commission on Judicial … Continue reading →

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Anti-gay Waco JP’s lawsuit tossed

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a bit of good news. A Travis County judge has thrown out McLennan County Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley’s lawsuit against the state panel that sanctioned her in 2019 for refusing to perform same-sex weddings. Judge Jan Soifer … Continue reading →

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Smoots-Thomas takes a plea

Posted on September 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

A sad but hardly unexpected end to this story. The ex-judge in an orange jail uniform stood before a judge in black robes, swore to tell the truth and tried to make sense of her predicament. “My world truly turned … Continue reading →

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Another example of why bail reform is needed

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is troubling in a lot of ways, but fortunately there is a path forward. Since November, eight defendants fresh out of jail on bond have walked into state District Judge Ramona Franklin’s court and been sent right back to … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton does Ken Paxton thing

Posted on February 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Film at 11. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office is not defending a state agency that is being sued for punishing a judge who refuses to officiate gay marriages. It’s the most recent in a handful of cases in which … Continue reading →

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Judge Powell back on the ballot

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So be it. A civil court judge Wednesday ordered that sitting criminal district Judge George Powell be included on the March primary ballot after the Harris County Democratic Party denied his application for candidacy last month. Party officials had to … Continue reading →

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Anti-gay Waco JP sues for the right to be an anti-gay JP

Posted on December 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. A Waco judge who received a public warning last month for refusing to officiate same-sex marriages filed a lawsuit against the state agency that issued the warning, claiming the governmental body violated state law by punishing her for actions … Continue reading →

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We have a filing failure

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

In typical fashion, it’s bizarre. One of the more bizarre things to happen during the recent filing period: Judge George Powell had his filing rejected because of a filing fee mistake. So he sued. Powell filed on the last day, … Continue reading →

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Former judge McSpadden rebuked by State Commission on Judicial Conduct

Posted on December 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A former district judge who served on the Harris County bench for 36 years has received a formal reprimand from a state watchdog commission for comments he made to a Houston Chronicle reporter stating black defendants were getting poor … Continue reading →

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In which Greg Abbott moves to protect an anti-gay judge

Posted on December 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

First, there was this. The Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct on Monday issued a public warning to a Republican judge from Waco who refuses to perform same-sex marriages but still performs them for opposite-sex couples. McLennan County Justice of the … Continue reading →

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Smoots-Thomas suspended from the bench

Posted on November 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

What you’d expect. A district court judge in Harris County has been suspended after she was indicted on federal wire fraud charges for allegedly misspending campaign donations. Judge Alexandra Smoots-Thomas, 44, will be removed from her bench without pay until … Continue reading →

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Justice Higley resigns

Posted on November 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is clearly the best course of action. Justice Laura Carter Higley, who lives in West University and served on the Houston-based court, submitted her notice to Gov. Greg Abbott, the appeals court’s clerk confirmed Tuesday. In the letter, she … Continue reading →

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The case of Justice Laura Higley

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is a sad situation, one with potentially fraught political implications. An appeals court justice serving Southeast Texas continues to sit on the bench as she suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, all while facing familial discord over the control of her … Continue reading →

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