Judicial Ethics, Misconduct, and Reform

In many recent high profile cases, the courtroom conduct of judges has been in the spotlight. In 2020, Reuters journalists Michael Berens and John Shiffman did an investigative series on judicial misconduct titled The Teflon Robe. In this series, Berens and Shiffman reviewed 1,509 cases from 2008 through 2019 in which judges resigned, retired or were publicly disciplined following accusations of misconduct. In Tennessee, juvenile court Judge Donna Scott Davenport has come under fire after a ProPublica and Nashville Public Radio investigation revealed that she allegedly oversaw a juvenile justice system which disproportionately and illegally jailed Black children for the crime of “criminal responsibility,” a crime that doesn't exist. Judge Donna Scott Davenport remains on the bench.  On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host Craig Williams is joined by Dean James J. Alfini, professor of law from South Texas College of Law Houston to discuss the ethical guidelines judges need to abide by, what should happen to these judges if these guidelines are violated, and whether there should be some type of reform to prevent future misconduct.