Opinion ID: 852383
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: The charges against Judge Hawkins relating to conduct during the Commission's investigation.

Text: The Commission alleged the following counts of misconduct relating to its investigation:  Count V: Judge Hawkins failed to notify the Commission during its early investigation that the Buntin file had been located and an order had been issued, committing conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.  Count VI: Judge Hawkins misrepresented that the Buntin file had been archived, violating Canons 1 and 2A, and committing conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.  Count VII: Judge Hawkins failed to secure on March 8, 2007, the evidence that an earlier order in the Buntin case had been prepared, violating Canons 1 and 2A, and committing conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.  Count VIII: Judge Hawkins conveyed a false impression to the Commission that the post-it note contained evidence of a May 20, 2005 order having been prepared, violating Canons 1 and 2A, and committing conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.  Count XI: Judge Hawkins did not address bailiff Talley's misconduct during the Commission's investigation, violating Canons 1, 2A, and 3C(2), and committing conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. Judge Hawkins does not dispute that when he talked with Ms. Babcock in the first week in March 2007, he indicated he would look into allegations of delay in Buntin's PCR case and get back with her. He did not respond until prompted by an email from Ms. Babcock on March 21, 2007. In the meantime, he had located the Buntin file, discovered the unprocessed order and the diskette, used the diskette to modify the order and issue it, issued a Notice purporting to explain the delay, and turned the file over to bailiff Talley, under whose supervision the diskette and replaced pages from the unprocessed order were lost. When he finally reported back to the Commission, Judge Hawkins misrepresented that the delay in issuing the Buntin PCR Order had been caused by the file inadvertently being archived in the Clerk's Office without the PCR Order being processed and filed, and that a post-it note indicated Commissioner Broyles had signed an order granting Buntin's petition on May 20, 2005. Although Judge Hawkins believed the information he gave the Commission was true, he apparently did little to verify its accuracy or investigate matters after he became aware that his statement was in fact inaccurate. Judge Hawkins did not inform the Commission until June 28, 2007, that he had altered the unprocessed order he found in the file. Judge Hawkins' delay in reporting to the Commission and the incomplete and inaccurate information he then gave the Commission complicated its investigation and compromised its ability to determine exactly what had happened in the Buntin case. The Masters found that the Commission proved the allegations in Counts V through VIII by clear and convincing evidence. The Court agrees that Judge Hawkins' failure to report to the Commission as soon as possible when the Buntin file had been located and an order had been issued (Count V) constituted conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. However, with respect to Counts VI (misrepresentation about archiving the file) and VIII (misrepresentation about the post-it note), the evidence shows Judge Hawkins made these initial misrepresentations in good-faith reliance on information provided by Talley. And with respect to Count VII (failure to secure evidence of the unprocessed order), there is no evidence that Judge Hawkins had reason to know when he entrusted the Buntin file to Talley that pages from the unprocessed order and the diskette would disappear on Talley's watch. The Court therefore concludes that the Commission failed to prove the charges of Counts VI through VIII by clear and convincing evidence. Talley's misrepresentations about the search for the Buntin file and the date on the post-it note, and his changing accounts regarding the former, appear to be major factors that complicated the Commission's investigation. Still, the Masters concluded, and the Court agrees, that the Commission has failed to carry its burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence the charge in Count XI that Judge Hawkins committed misconduct by failing to address Talley's misconduct during the Commission's investigation. The Masters cited evidence that Judge Hawkins confronted Talley about his conduct, made sure Talley knew it could not happen again, impressed on him the importance of telling the truth, and received an assurance that Talley understood.