Case Title: In Re Stuhl

Citation: 233 S.E.2d 562, 292 N.C. 379

Docket Number: 

State: north-carolina

Court: North Carolina Supreme Court

Date: 1977-04-14T00:00:00Z

Document:
233 S.E.2d 562 (1977) 292 N.C. 379 In re Inquiry Concerning a Judge No. 35, George Z. STUHL. No. 44. Supreme Court of North Carolina. April 14, 1977. *563 (Judicial Standards Commission) Millard R. Rich, Jr., Deputy Atty. Gen., Raleigh, for appellant. L. Sneed High, Fayetteville, for appellee. EXUM, Justice. This matter is before the Supreme Court upon the recommendation of the Judicial Standards Commission (Commission), filed with this Court on 30 December 1976, that Judge George Z. Stuhl, Judge of the General Court of Justice, District Court Division, Twelfth Judicial District (respondent), be censured for willful misconduct in office and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice which brings the judicial office into disrepute. See Article IV, section 17(2) of the North Carolina Constitution and G.S. 7A-376 (1975 Cum.Supp.). Respondent George Z. Stuhl did not petition this Court for a hearing upon the censure recommendation, thereby waiving the right to file a brief and to be heard on oral argument. Rule 2, Rules for Supreme Court Review of Recommendations of the Judicial Standards Commission, 288 N.C. 740. Having considered the record consisting of the verified complaint and answer filed with, the evidence heard by, the findings of fact, conclusions, and recommendations made by the Judicial Standards Commission, we take note of the proceedings and findings and, based thereon, make our conclusions of law and order of censure: 1. This proceeding was instituted before the Commission by the filing of a verified complaint on 29 June 1976 which alleged that respondent had engaged in willful misconduct in office and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice which brings the judicial office into disrepute in that: 2. Respondent filed a verified answer admitting the allegations of the complaint concerning Fay Victor Parrous (Case No. 75-CR-36358), admitting only the harmless allegations concerning Dr. Darviris (Citation No. C2052881), admitting all allegations concerning Henry Mitchell Colvin (Citation No. 2039560), except the allegation that respondent had represented him on worthless check and traffic charges prior to becoming a judge, admitting in the Lindsey Anthony Antis case (Citation No. 1762839) that he found said defendant guilty in open court of violating G.S. 20-138(b) and guilty of speeding 69 miles per hour in a 55 mile-per-hour zone and entered judgment accordingly. All other allegations of the complaint were denied. 3. Upon due notice respondent was accorded a full adversary hearing before the Commission on 14 October 1976 at which time he was represented by counsel, testified in his own behalf, and offered other evidence. After hearing all evidence offered in support of the allegations, the Commission made findings as hereinafter appear: Upon the foregoing findings of fact the Commission concluded as a matter of law that the conduct of respondent constituted willful misconduct in office and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice which brings the Judicial Office into disrepute and recommended that respondent be *568 censured by the Supreme Court for such conduct. The Supreme Court concludes that the Commission's findings of fact are supported by substantial evidence. We therefore accept the facts as established by the findings and apply the law accordingly. G.S. 7A-376 (Cum.Supp.1975) provides, in pertinent part, as follows: Willful misconduct in office denotes "improper and wrong conduct of a judge acting in his official capacity done intentionally, knowingly and, generally, in bad faith. It is more than a mere error of judgment or an act of negligence. While the term would encompass conduct involving moral turpitude, dishonesty, or corruption, these elements need not necessarily be present." In re Edens, 290 N.C. 299, 226 S.E.2d 5 (1976). Conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the Judicial Office into disrepute denotes "conduct which a judge undertakes in good faith but which nevertheless would appear to an objective observer to be not only unjudicial conduct but conduct prejudicial to public esteem for the judicial office." Geiler v. Commission on Judicial Qualifications, 10 Cal. 3d 270, 515 P.2d 1, 110 Cal. Rptr. 201 (1973), cert. denied, 417 U.S. 932, 94 S. Ct. 2643, 41 L. Ed. 2d 235; In re Edens, supra. Whether a judge's conduct should be so characterized "depends not so much on the judge's motives but more on the conduct itself, the results thereof, and the impact such conduct might reasonably have upon knowledgeable observers." In re Crutchfield, 289 N.C. 597, 223 S.E.2d 822 (1975). A criminal prosecution is an adversary proceeding in which the prosecuting attorney and defendant or his counsel are entitled to be present and to be heard. Failure to accord the prosecutor such opportunity violates North Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct, Canon 3A(4), 283 N.C. 771, 772, which provides: Application of the foregoing legal principles to defendant's actions in the various cases detailed in the findings of fact compels the conclusion that respondent is guilty of willful misconduct in office and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the judicial office into disrepute in that respondent: (1) improperly precluded the district attorney from participating in the disposition of cases in which he represented the State and was entitled to be present and to be heard; (2) improperly removed the disposition of cases from public view in open court and transacted the court's business in secrecy; (3) improperly entered a judgment of not guilty in the Dr. Darviris case under circumstances suggesting bad faith; (4) improperly charged the court's judgment in the Lindsey Anthony Antis case under circumstances suggesting bad faith; and (5) violated Canon 3 A(4) of the North Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct. We conclude that respondent should be censured for such conduct in accordance with the recommendation of the Judicial Standards Commission. Now, therefore, it is ORDERED by the Supreme Court of North Carolina that Judge George Z. Stuhl, be, and he is hereby censured for his improper conduct established and detailed in the findings of fact of the Judicial Standards Commission. Done by the Court in Conference this 5th day of April 1977. *569 LAKE, Justice, dissenting. I dissent for the reasons stated by me in my dissenting opinion in In re Crutchfield, 289 N.C. 597, 605, 223 S.E.2d 822 (1976). This dissent is in no way intended as a condonation of any of the alleged conduct in office of the respondent or is it intended to imply that such conduct, if it occurred, is not prejudicial to the administration of justice or that it does not bring the judicial office into disrepute. My dissent is based solely upon what I consider the obvious unconstitutionality of the statute pursuant to which the Judicial Standards Commission operates and from which the jurisdiction of this Court in this proceeding is purportedly derived.