The Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct disclosed this week that a complaint, with case number #21-375, against a justice of the peace has been dismissed.
An anonymous complainant alleged that a justice of the peace made a racist social media post.
The complainant stated that:
“I am concerned about a racist social media post by this County judge. It seems clear that she values people in certain groups over others and that some of her values are based on race. Judges should evaluate cases without regard to race, sexual orientation, citizenship, and economic status. The post indicates that this judge believes that white people think a certain way and that way is wrong. There are other problems too.”
The Commission on Judicial Conduct’s job is to objectively decide whether a judicial official has engaged in behavior that contravenes the Arizona Code of Judicial Conduct or Article 6.1 of the Arizona Constitution. For the Commission to discipline a judicial official, there must be a strong proof of a breach of this rule.
After reviewing the complaint, the Commission concluded that the judge’s post’s language seemed improper and conveyed the impression of prejudice. While this violated Rule 1.2 of the Code of Judicial Conduct, the Scope Section of the Code states that not every transgression will result in the imposition of discipline.
The order reads:
“The Commission decided, after considering all the facts and circumstances, to dismiss the Complaint pursuant to Commission Rules 16(b) and 23(a), but to issue a warning letter to the judicial officer reminding her of the need to exercise vigilance over the contents of her social media postings, both personally and professionally.”
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
