Judge Tony R. Mallery of Lassen County, California, committed 23 acts of willful misconduct and 36 acts of prejudicial misconduct, according to the decision by the California Commission on Judicial Performance... "The misconduct is wide-ranging and reflects either a troubling inability to conform his behavior to appropriate judicial standards or a lack of understanding of what being a judge is and requires or both," the commission said.
Mallery "usurped the role of prosecutors" when he tried to eliminate traditional plea bargaining, citing public outrage over handling of crime in the county. His plan was to offer his own deals to defendants after hearings.
When speaking to attorneys about plea deals, Mallery indicated that he would base decisions on improper factors, such as public perception and political ramifications. One public defender testified that Mallery asked whether she had heard of Judge Persky, a reference to California Judge Aaron Persky, who was recalled after imposing a lenient rape sentence. Mallery reportedly said Persky is "standing in the unemployment line for a lenient sentence, and I am not going to be in that position."
#judicial-misconduct #california-commission-on-judicial-performance #improper-judgment #abuse-of-power
[
add
]
[
|
|
...
]