On Wednesday, July 24, 2024, Calaveras Enterprise reported that Calaveras County Superior Court Judge Timothy S. Healy had received a rare public admonishment from the California Commission on Judicial Performance.
The Commission on Judicial Performance is an independent state agency that investigates complaints of judicial misconduct and judicial discipline. In a 21-page public admonishment, the Commission detailed several incidents involving Judge Healy’s conduct that occurred between 2017 and 2023. Specifically, the Commission found that Judge Healy had engaged in inappropriate and discourteous behavior towards attorneys, litigants, crime victims, and members of the public in his courtroom on multiple occasions.
In some instances, Judge Healy had improperly injected his personal experiences into legal proceedings. The Commission also determined that Judge Healy had improperly denied lawyers’ statutory right to file peremptory challenges in one case and appeared to show favoritism towards an attorney in another. Additionally, the Commission admonished Judge Healy for initiating an unauthorized ex parte communication with a minor in detention outside the presence of their attorney.
The Commission noted that Judge Healy had participated in a judicial mentorship program aimed at addressing issues with his demeanor. However, two courtroom incidents in late 2023 seemed to factor into the Commission’s decision to issue a public rather than private admonishment. Specifically, in December 2023, Judge Healy made improper remarks directed at multiple individuals in his courtroom after smelling what he believed to be marijuana but was actually a skunk outside.
Additionally, during a November 2023 hearing, Judge Healy inappropriately commented at length about his perception that an alleged crime victim attending the proceedings smelled of cannabis. The Commission found Judge Healy’s comments in both incidents to be discourteous, disparaging and convey an appearance of bias.
Issuing public admonishments is rare for the Commission, which considers over 1,000 complaints annually. Last year, it publicly censured two judges and issued three public admonishments, in addition to 10 private admonishments and 19 advisory letters. Judge Healy’s attorney disputed some of the Commission’s findings but acknowledged his client could have handled the 2023 incidents better and will continue working to improve.
Judge Healy has served on the Calaveras County Superior Court since 2015. While he was elected to the bench in 2014, judges run unopposed when no other candidates file to run against them. His current term ends in 2027.
Source: Calaveras Enterprise
