‘Spanking’ Judge Given a Public Warning

A Texas judicial conduct panel has given a public warning to a judge who gave parents the option of paddling their children or paying a $500 fine.

The public warning given to Judge Gustavo Garza is in the middle range of disciplinary options, the Associated Press reports.

The State Commission on Judicial Conduct said Garza believed the lack of courtroom decorum caused by the paddlings was outweighed by the positive results, the Brownsville Herald reports. But the commission said Garza exceeded his authority.

“Judge Garza routinely facilitated and permitted the paddling of juveniles in his courtroom thereby clothing the practice with an improper judicial blessing," according to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.