Judge Admonished for Hugging Defendant, Allowing Tinfoil Hat in Court
A California judge has been admonished, in part because he hugged a defendant in open court after he had arraigned her on a charge of stabbing her boyfriend.
Judge Anthony Edwards of Trinity County had recused himself in the case, along with the county’s other judge, the Recorder reports. He told the Commission on Judicial Performance that he arraigned the defendant anyway because he feared the clock was running and charges would be dropped. Edwards was a godparent to the defendant’s child. His wife, a lawyer, appeared in court with the defendant; Edwards appointed a public defender during the hearing.
The commission decision (PDF) also cited other incidents, including Edwards’ decision to allow a potential juror whom he knows socially to wear a tinfoil hat on his head when he reported for jury duty. Edwards had been present several months before when the juror said he would wear the hat to get out of jury duty.
Edwards’ lawyer, Kathleen Ewins, told the Recorder that Edwards “respectfully disagrees” with the punishment. The issues raised in the opinion “reflect some of the unique challenges of serving in a rural county like Trinity,” she said.
The Recorder article says the commission also admonished Edwards for:
• Taking a clerk and a deputy marshal on his plane for an extended lunch outing, making the judge late for the afternoon calendar and leaving the branch courthouse closed. When the court’s executive officer questioned the clerk’s absence, Edwards said he had the right to take the clerk to lunch, and she should get overtime for the time spent discussing the matter.
• Signing a false affidavit saying he was current on his cases so he could get paid.
• Criticizing the district attorney for “overcharging” in a misdemeanor case.
