Opinion ID: 1172050
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Starks Matter.

Text: (8) Dean H. Starks, an attorney, was in court for an unrelated matter when he observed a friend, Charles Jergo, appearing before Judge Ryan without counsel on several misdemeanor charges. Starks attempted to intervene on behalf of the defendant regarding the issue of release on bail. Judge Ryan thanked Starks, but stated he had already made his decision. Judge Ryan then left the courtroom. Once the court session had ended, Starks approached another attorney in the courtroom and jokingly asked when the next judicial election would be held. Judge Ryan's court clerk, Samantha Spangler, overheard Starks's question and stated that Starks's comment was inappropriate. Starks then began to explain his friendship with Jergo, while Spangler defended the judge's ruling. The conversation became heated and the bailiff had to intervene. Starks did not make any derogatory comments about the judge during the exchange, and the entire conversation occurred out of the judge's presence. Spangler immediately went to Judge Ryan's chambers and informed him of what transpired. The judge called Starks into his chambers. Following an unsworn recitation of the facts by certain witnesses, Judge Ryan held Starks in contempt of court and summarily sentenced him to a $200 fine or three days in jail. The judge gave Starks three days to pay the fine. Starks immediately filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the superior court. Soon after, Judge Ryan told the press that he intended to drop the contempt charge. Nevertheless, Judge Ryan asked the district attorney to research contempt law for him and did not inform Starks that he was dropping the contempt order until two weeks later. The contempt order was later invalidated by the superior court. [5] The masters concluded that Judge Ryan committed wilful misconduct in this matter. The Commission agreed. The Commission determined that Judge Ryan should have known his contempt order was both substantively and procedurally invalid. Moreover, the Commission determined that the judge's continued pursuit of the contempt case was done in bad faith and for an improper purpose. Judge Ryan completely ignored the procedures required for issuing contempt orders. Starks could not be held in direct contempt because his statements were made outside the judge's presence and after the court session had ended. (Code Civ. Proc., § 1209, subd. (b).) [6] Moreover, the judge failed to follow the procedures for indirect contempt outlined in section 1211 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Section 1211 requires that an affidavit be presented to the judge reciting the facts constituting contempt. No such affidavit was presented. Judge Ryan found Starks guilty of contempt merely on the basis of the unsworn testimony presented in his chambers. Thus, the Commission was correct in concluding that Judge Ryan's contempt order was procedurally invalid. The Commission also correctly concluded that the contempt order was substantively invalid. The comment made by Starks regarding the next judicial election was mild. Those who accept judicial office must expect and endure such criticism. As one court aptly stated, the judge must be long of fuse and somewhat thick of skin. ( DeGeorge v. Superior Court (1974) 40 Cal. App.3d 305, 312 [114 Cal. Rptr. 860].) Moreover, Starks's heated discussion with Spangler did not rise to the level of contemptuous behavior. Starks's conduct did not interfere with court proceedings, nor did it lower esteem for the judiciary. In Cannon v. Commission on Judicial Qualifications (1975) 14 Cal.3d 678 [122 Cal. Rptr. 778, 537 P.2d 898], we held that ignorance of proper contempt procedures, without more, constituted bad faith. ( Id. at p. 694.) In Cannon we emphasized that Judge Cannon was an experienced judge, with more than nine years on the bench. Judge Ryan is also experienced, having served on the justice court bench for four years and on the municipal court bench since 1982. Judge Ryan should have known, or should have researched, the proper contempt procedures in this matter. His failure to do so constituted bad faith under the Wenger two-prong test. However, Judge Ryan's ignorance of contempt procedure was not his only transgression in this matter. Judge Ryan testified that he knew he had made mistakes immediately after he held Starks in contempt. Nevertheless, even after the judge realized his contempt order was invalid, he still pursued the matter with the district attorney and did not notify Starks that the matter was dropped until two weeks later. This conduct also constituted bad faith. We agree with the Commission that Judge Ryan committed wilful misconduct.