Judge Gets 30 Days for 'Stupidity' of Seeking Relationship with Defendant
Defense lawyers argued that a middle-aged Texas judge had been waylaid by the feminine wiles of a 20-something defendant in a drunken-driving case on his call. But a jury decided otherwise, convicting Harris County Criminal Court-at-Law Judge Donald Wayne Jackson of official oppression on Friday for seeking a relationship with her.
Today Jackson was sentenced to a 30-day jail term by an angry colleague who chided him for his “stupidity,” reports the Houston Chronicle.
Jackson also was given 200 hours of community service, fined $4,000 and ordered to take 25 hours of state-approved legal ethics courses in both 2010 and 2011 by state District Judge Mark Kent Ellis.
“We are all tarnished by your stupidity,” Ellis told his colleague at sentencing today, ruling also that Jackson cannot return to the bench while he is appealing his case.
Ellis has, however, held that Jackson can be released on $5,000 bail during his appeal, according to a local Fox News affiliate.
“I would not wish county jail on my worst enemy, but you earned it by your reckless conduct,” he told Jackson today, the station recounts.
Additional coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Texas Judge Accused of Seeking ‘More Than a 1-Night Stand’ Is Suspended”
ABAJournal.com: “Bad Date With Defendant Puts Judge on Trial; Defense Alleges Batted Eyelashes”
Associated Press: “Houston judge gets jail for wooing defendant”
KHOU: “Judge who propositioned defendant gets 30 days in jail”
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