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November 02, 2007
Judges judging judges
Judges are a curious sort. Back when I worked at juvie over the summer, the judge in my courtroom was prone to delivering long monologues and admonitions to my clients, who usually mumbled in response. He was one tough mofo. He also had pictures of Denzel Washington in his chambers. However, to the best of my knowledge, he never did anything like this:
A judge who ordered a woman to drop her pants and decided a custody dispute by flipping a coin was removed from the bench by the Virginia Supreme Court on Friday. The decision against Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge James Michael Shull of Gate City was unanimous.
"Unless our citizens can trust that judges will fairly resolve the disputes brought before our courts, and treat all litigants with dignity, our courts will lose the public's respect and confidence upon which our legal system depends," Justice Barbara Milano Keenan wrote.
According to the court, Shull admitted tossing a coin to determine which parent would have visitation with a child on Christmas. Shull said he was trying to encourage the parents to decide the issue themselves but later acknowledged that he was wrong.
The pants-dropping incidents, the court said, "were even more egregious."
The court said they occurred when a woman was seeking a protective order against a partner who she said had stabbed her in the leg. Shull knew the woman had a history of mental problems and insisted on seeing the wound, the court said.
The woman dropped her pants once to display the wound, then dropped them a second time after Shull left the bench for a closer look to determine whether the woman had received stitches.
entry no. 996
Posted by oz115 at November 2, 2007 03:16 PM