On Monday, March 25, 2024, FOX8 reported that Guilford County District Court Judge Angela Foster had been suspended without pay for 120 days by the North Carolina Supreme Court.
According to documents from the state’s Judicial Standards Commission, Judge Foster had been accused of violating several canons of the North Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct through actions that were deemed “prejudicial to the administration of justice.” Specifically, Foster allegedly attempted to pressure a Wake County magistrate into changing the bond conditions for her son Alexander Pinnix in March 2022 without disclosing their relationship. Pinnix was being held on charges of resisting an officer and misdemeanor breaking and entering.
Judge Foster was also charged with demanding that an assistant district attorney and presiding magistrate close administrative court proceedings in High Point on November 7, 2022, so she could use the courtroom for her own cases. This led to over 100 pending cases to be continued. Documents state Foster did not have permission from the chief district judge to take over the courtroom and move the proceedings.
In addition, Foster had received a prior censure in 2019 for abusing her authority. According to court records, the incident involved Foster holding a hearing without notice and jailing a mother without cause before lecturing her children in an attempt to convince them to visit their father.
While Judge Foster acknowledged responsibility, the Judicial Standards Commission did not feel her conduct warranted removal from the bench, but the suspension without pay was deemed an appropriate penalty. The Supreme Court’s order found Foster had committed serious violations and damaged public confidence in the judiciary.
Source: FOX8
