The Board of Judicial Conduct has issued a public reprimand for 30th Judicial District (Shelby County) Judge James Jones Jr. related to a letter he wrote on official stationery on behalf of two defendants convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Read the reprimand here.

Shelby County Criminal Judge A. Melissa Boyd was publicly reprimanded on May 8 by the Board of Judicial Conduct. According to the reprimand, Judge Boyd solicited resources and cash donations on Facebook to benefit a school, and the posts seeking those contributions from the public show her wearing her judicial robe. The board noted that judges “are expected to maintain the highest standards of conduct at all times and conflating judicial office to advance the private interests of others is prohibited.”

Meigs County General Sessions Judge Casey Stokes was yesterday publicly reprimanded by the Board of Judicial Conduct. According to the reprimand, Stokes called a litigant a “tough guy” during an October hearing and said to the litigant, “I hope you meet someone just like yourself one day.” Stokes also told the litigant’s daughter to “shut up” during court. In his response, Stokes acknowledged saying those things and added that the litigant and his family were being rude to the opposing party and had interrupted Stokes. The board wrote in its reprimand that, no matter how tense a situation, it’s important for a judge to “remain dignified and composed and not be drawn into an escalating situation.”

The Board of Judicial Conduct has suspended Madison County Judge Hugh Harvey for 30 days. Harvey was arrested in August for driving under the influence and being in possession of a firearm. According to the board's order, Harvey self-reported his arrest and, acting on advice from the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP), completed 60 days of in-patient treatment for alcoholism. He pled guilty to the DUI last month and the charge of possessing a handgun was dismissed. An investigative panel of the board concluded that Harvey will be suspended from Dec. 22 until Jan. 20, 2023, and must be monitored by TLAP for five years. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more.

The Board of Judicial Conduct last week suspended 13th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Jonathan Lee Young for 30 days. The board found that Young made improper comments about an opioid case and although the comments were made outside of court, they were serious enough to void a ruling he entered against an opioid company. The board also cited comments Young made to a woman in an adoption case filed in his court. In that case, the board found that Young requested explicit photos of the woman and met her multiple times outside of court, including at a hotel, and that he gave her advice on an unrelated custody matter in another court, including how to get the judge disqualified. According to reporting by the Tennessean, Young lost his Republican primary election in May and the suspension runs to the end of his term Aug. 31. He had previously been reprimanded in 2020 for sending inappropriate messages to women on social media platforms.

The Board of Judicial Conduct has issued an order of suspension for Roane County General Sessions Judge Dennis W. Humphrey. The suspension stems from an October 2021 incident in which Humphrey received citations for having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle and for failing to use due care and a February 2022 incident in which he was charged and pleaded guilty to a DUI. Humphrey will be suspended for 30 days effective July 1. He will also be monitored by and adhere to the recommendations of the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program for a period of five years consistent with his Substance Use Disorder Recovery Monitoring Agreement. Read the order from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct has issued a public reprimand to 19th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Ted Crozier Jr. for failing to "perform judicial and administrative duties competently, promptly and diligently," as required by Tennessee ethics rules. The reprimand came in response to a complaint involving a bench trial in a termination of parental rights and adoption case in which the judge did not issue a decision until 10 months later, and a divorce and custody matter in which the judge failed to enter a ruling on two motions.

The Board of Judicial Conduct today issued a public reprimand for Hamilton County General Sessions Judge Gerald Webb. The board issued the reprimand because of social media posts made by Webb that “do not meet the standards of conduct expected of those privileged to hold judicial office.” The board says the reprimand was also issued because of two incidents in which Webb’s law license was suspended for failure to comply with continuing legal education requirements in 2019 and again in 2020.  The Chattanoogan has more on the story. 

The Board of Judicial Conduct yesterday issued a 30-day suspension for Lewis County General Sessions and Juvenile Judge Michael Hinson. An investigative panel of the board authorized a full investigation into Hinson’s conduct after it was reported that he had made comments during legal proceedings that were perceived as disparaging and derogatory. As a result of the investigation, the panel suspended Hinson for 30 days and ordered that he complete, at his own expense, a judicial ethics program from the National Center of State Courts that addresses demeanor from the bench. He is to provide disciplinary counsel with a certificate of completion. Hinson’s suspension will run from Oct. 2 until Oct. 31, during which time he is prohibited from exercising any judicial power or authority. Read the full order from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The Board of Judicial Conduct yesterday entered into a deferred discipline agreement with Stewart County Judicial Commissioner Joyce Tomlinson. The agreement says Tomlinson is alleged to have “injected herself into an active criminal case involving a family member and acted in a discourteous and intemperate manner inappropriate for a judicial officer.” Tomlinson is said to have “questioned and challenged” officers at the Stewart County Sheriff’s Department about a family member’s case. She was “sarcastic, argumentative, raised her voice, and banged her hands on the table,” and taunted the officer who had investigated her family member’s case, making it clear she did not believe his account of the case. Under the discipline agreement, Tomlinson will resign from her position no later than Feb. 14 and will not seek an appointed or elected judicial office in the future.