Legal Ethics
Miss. Judge Suspended 30 Days, Without Pay, for Meeting Parties, Lawyers Outside Court
A Mississippi judge has been suspended for 30 days without pay, and will also be reprimanded and fined, for talking with litigants and lawyers outside court.
Hinds County Justice Court Judge Houston Patton also allegedly held hearings and made rulings without notifying parties in cases, reports the Clarion Ledger.
The state Commission on Judicial Performance had recommended that Patton be punished only with a reprimand and a fine, but the Mississippi Supreme Court said the judge’s actions required more because he had denied parties their rights.
