Opinion ID: 1735237
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Allegation of Prosecutorial Misconduct

Text: ¶ 10. Judge Byers charged that the initial investigation against her was conducted by a staff member whose participation in the investigation amounted to prosecutorial misconduct because that staff member's application for a job as a judicial law clerk in the Fourth Circuit Court District had been denied, in part, on the recommendation of Judge Byers. ¶ 11. A review of the complaint process reveals that the Commission has jurisdiction over every judge of any court in existence in the State of Mississippi. The Commission's duties, function and purpose are set forth by constitutional provision, general statutory law and Rules of the Commission. The purpose of the Commission is rehabilitative, educational and disciplinary, and the proceedings are civil in nature. The Commission may begin an inquiry on its own motion based upon information received anonymously, from the media or through any other source. After receiving a complaint, a file is opened, the complaint is assigned a number, and a preliminary evaluation of each complaint is conducted. A complaint may be dismissed summarily at that point, and a significant number are, primarily because they are directed at decisions made by a judge which fall within judicial discretion. Those complaints which warrant further attention are investigated by Commission staff. The judge in question is notified and given an opportunity to respond. The Commission may dismiss the complaint, privately admonish the judge, enter into a memorandum of understanding with the judge, or file a formal complaint against the judge. If a formal complaint is filed, the judge is given an opportunity to file responsive pleadings and a formal hearing is held before the Commission or before a three-member Committee of judges/lawyers appointed by the Commission. The findings of fact and recommendations, and the record of the hearing are then filed with this Court. This Court may suspend, fine, publicly censure or reprimand, or remove a judge whose actions constitute misconduct. Procedural safeguards provide a judge with an opportunity to be presented with the charges, to be represented by counsel, and to respond and be heard. [1] ¶ 12. In judicial misconduct proceedings, this Court will review the entire record, and it is the trier of fact. Mississippi Comm'n on Judicial Performance v. Fletcher, 686 So.2d 1075, 1078 (Miss.1996). Based on the record before us in the present case, we find that the established procedures were properly followed, and there was no prosecutorial misconduct. The first complaints against Judge Byers were received before the staff member in question ever began working for the Commission. The Commission later assigned the complaint to the new staff member who then proceeded to investigate under the direction of the Commission. The staff member personally spoke with Judge Byers about the complaint, before speaking with anyone else. After Judge Byers expressed concern to a Commission member about this particular staff member being the investigator, the Commission promptly removed the staff member from this investigation. ¶ 13. The Commission has multiple roles as investigator and prosecutor and [t]he processes of the Commission do not in and of themselves appear to present an unacceptable risk of bias. Mississippi Comm'n on Judicial Performance v. Spencer, 725 So.2d 171, 174-75 (Miss.1998) (citing Mississippi Comm'n on Judicial Performance v. Russell, 691 So.2d 929, 946 (Miss.1997)). Although bias was alleged by Judge Byers, there was no showing of any specific acts that constitute bias, and the facts indicate that whatever bias might have been present was promptly corrected by the Commission. Thus Judge Byers has not demonstrated that bias in fact permeates the process, as required by Mississippi Comm'n on Judicial Performance v. Russell, 691 So.2d 929, 946 (Miss. 1997). To constitute a due process violation, the prosecutorial misconduct must be `of sufficient significance to result in the denial of the defendant's right to a fair trial'. Gray v. State, 728 So.2d 36, 54 (Miss.1998) (citing Greer v. Miller, 483 U.S. 756, 765, 107 S.Ct. 3102, 97 L.Ed.2d 618 (1987)).