Opinion ID: 1832209
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Charge I: Abuse of contempt power and authority as a judge

Text: In Charge I, the Commission charged Judge Jefferson with abusing his authority as a judge by exceeding his contempt power and abusing such contempt power with respect to the City Prosecutor and the Clerk of Court for the Monroe City Court. The Commission found that such acts demonstrated Judge Jefferson's lack of proper judicial temperament and demeanor under the circumstances. Charge I includes three incidents involving Judge Jefferson, the prosecutor, James Rodney Pierre, and the Clerk of Court, Ms. Powell-Lexing, in which the judge held these individuals in contempt of court.
On April 2, 1997, Judge Jefferson recalled a bench warrant against a criminal defendant he had previously issued and reset the defendant's court date. The prosecutor for the Monroe City Court, Mr. Pierre, was advised of this action and told that he should report to Judge Jefferson's office to discuss the change. At that time, no proceedings or court sessions were scheduled that required the prosecutor's presence at the time ordered by the judge. Additionally, Mr. Pierre had not been subpoenaed to appear before the judge. There is a factual dispute as to whether Mr. Pierre replied that he would meet with the judge after he finished some paperwork or that he would not honor the new court date set by Judge Jefferson. According to Mr. Pierre, he told the secretary that he would be there directly after completing some paperwork. Judge Jefferson testified, however, that Mr. Pierre refused to honor the court date set by the judge. In any case, after learning that Mr. Pierre would not immediately honor his request for a meeting, Judge Jefferson issued a verbal order to the deputy marshal to bring Mr. Pierre to his courtroom at that time. When Mr. Pierre was brought into the courtroom, Judge Jefferson found Mr. Pierre in direct contempt of court, sentenced him to thirty days in jail and fined him $500.00. Judge Jefferson testified that he later rescinded his order after realizing that the sentence imposed was inappropriate. Mr. Pierre, however, was handcuffed and detained for several hours in a holding cell adjacent to the courtroom. The laws providing for contempt citations do not apply in this instance. Therefore, Judge Jefferson's actions in this matter were clearly abusive of his authority. See La.C.Cr.P. art. 25(A) and La. C.C.P. art. 227 (A person may not be adjudged guilty of a contempt of court except for misconduct defined as such, or made punishable as such, expressly by law.). Additionally, even if Judge Jefferson mistakenly believed a contempt citation was appropriate under these circumstances, he failed to follow any of the procedures outlined in the Code for the punishment of contempt and imposed a sentence that far exceeded the legally permissible punishment for an attorney in contempt. Among other omissions, Judge Jefferson did not afford Mr. Pierre an opportunity to be heard orally by way of defense or mitigation and did not render an order reciting the facts constituting the contempt. The contempt power wielded by judges is an awesome responsibility and, when exercising such power, judges must diligently and in good faith comply with the strictures of the law governing its execution. The failure to do so, as in this case, constitutes an abuse of the contempt power.
On May 8, 1997, Judge Jefferson again held Mr. Pierre in contempt of court. At the conclusion of a criminal case before Judge Jefferson, in which Mr. Pierre was the prosecutor, and immediately prior to the commencement of another case, Judge Jefferson held Mr. Pierre in contempt for failing to request permission before leaving the courtroom to console a witness who was disappointed with the outcome of the previous case and for turning his back on Judge Jefferson when the judge was explaining why such behavior was unacceptable. Again, without affording Mr. Pierre the opportunity to be heard or telling him why he was being held in contempt, [1] Judge Jefferson found Mr. Pierre in contempt of court, imposed a sentence of twenty-four hours in jail, and ordered him immediately transported to jail. Mr. Pierre was handcuffed, booked, and detained at the Monroe City Jail. Although the Fourth Judicial District Court for the Parish of Ouachita subsequently issued a stay order suspending Mr. Pierre's sentence, Mr. Pierre was detained for several hours. At some point thereafter, Judge Jefferson stayed the proceedings and the execution of the contempt order. He also ordered Mr. Pierre not to discuss the matter with anyone outside the presence of the court. Notwithstanding this order, the local newspapers printed several articles regarding the feud and the resulting chaos between Judge Jefferson and Mr. Pierre. Pretermitting the issue of whether Mr. Pierre's actions were contemptuous in this issue, we find the procedures utilized by Judge Jefferson in punishing Mr. Pierre's behavior did not even begin to comport with the procedures required for the punishment of contempt and, therefore, as discussed above, amounted to an abuse of the contempt power. Furthermore, Judge Jefferson's actions totally disrupted the proceedings scheduled for court that day and prevented the orderly administration of justice. The record reflects that Judge Jefferson ordered Mr. Pierre and his staff not to discuss the case with the media. The issuance of this order was not supported in law, was motivated by the judge's desire that his questionable behavior not be publicized, and demonstrates a further abuse of power by the judge. Notwithstanding this order, Judge Jefferson's contempt findings were widely reported in the local media and consequently brought the judiciary into further disrepute.
On May 14, 1998, the Monroe City Court Clerk of Court, Carol Powell-Lexing, did not distribute the paychecks for Judge Jefferson and his staff at noon, the time she customarily distributed them. Instead, the checks were delivered when she returned from lunch. Later that afternoon, Judge Jefferson summoned Ms. Powell-Lexing to his office to answer questions regarding these and other issues. [2] When Ms. Powell-Lexing arrived, Judge Jefferson's secretary and a seventeen-year-old part-time employee were also in the judge's office. An audio tape of that meeting, which was surreptitiously made by Judge Jefferson, reveals that Judge Jefferson allowed his secretary to ask Ms. Powell-Lexing why her paychecks were delivered late on May 14, 1998. When Judge Jefferson's secretary reprimanded Ms. Powell-Lexing in a loud and disparaging manner regarding the tardiness of the checks, Ms. Powell-Lexing walked out of the meeting, ignoring the judge's plea that she remain to further discuss the matter. On May 15, 1998, the following afternoon, without any prior notice to Ms. Powell-Lexing, Judge Jefferson had a deputy marshal escort her to his courtroom from the court's parking lot. Upon her arrival in the courtroom, she was handed an order issued by Judge Jefferson requiring that she respond to the following questions: 1. Whether she has interfered with the operation of Division A of the court by deliberately withholding the paychecks of Judge Jefferson and his employees Ira Brown and Kenya Roberson on May 14, 1998. 2. Why she withheld from Ira Brown the password and code issued to Ira Brown by the City of Monroe for the computer system; 3. Why she deliberately withheld from Division A of the court information regarding the hiring of individuals in the clerk of court's office; and 4. Why she retaliated against court employees for having contact with Division A of the court. At this hearing, Ms. Powell-Lexing was questioned on the record and an audio tape of that proceeding reveals that Judge Jefferson conducted himself in an argumentative and belligerent manner. At some point during this hearing in open court, Ms. Powell-Lexing refused to answer the judge's questions and asserted her Fifth Amendment privilege. Judge Jefferson responded by ordering Ms. Powell-Lexing jailed until she answered the judge's questions and by ordering her in contempt of court. Ms. Powell-Lexing was then transported to the police station to be booked. After she arrived at the police station, Judge Jefferson ordered that she be returned to the courtroom whereupon the judge proceeded to further interrogate her in open court relative to questions set forth in the May 15, 1998 order that the judge deemed had not been answered to his satisfaction. Such interrogation ensued despite the fact that the judge had no authority to question her about the matters set forth in the order as he had been relieved of his administrative duties by the en banc order issued by the Monroe City Court and by the Fourth Judicial District Court's injunction against him from interfering with the Administrative Judge's responsibilities. At this time and with the assistance of counsel, Ms. Powell-Lexing responded to some of Judge Jefferson's questions. During the examination, Judge Jefferson stated to Ms. Powell-Lexing, You're not a Judge, you might act like one, but you got whipped, referring to the clerk's unsuccessful campaign for judicial office. Additionally, Judge Jefferson told Ms. Powell-Lexing to shut up twice. At the conclusion of this interrogation, Judge Jefferson issued an order that the parties not speak about the matter outside the presence of his court. Notwithstanding this order, the local media widely reported the incident. At the hearing before the Commission, Judge Jefferson admitted that there was no case pending involving Ms. Powell-Lexing and that she was not served with any order from Judge Jefferson until she was brought into his courtroom by the deputy. Clearly, Judge Jefferson's conduct amounted to an abuse of power and served only to unnecessarily intimidate and demean the clerk. As he did in the contempt proceedings on April 2, 1997, Judge Jefferson abused his contempt power by attempting to utilize such power under these circumstances and, in any case, ignoring the procedural protections afforded the individual charged with contempt. We therefore find Judge Jefferson abused the power of his office when he used his contempt power in an instance where there was no proceeding before him as a judicial officer and to address an administrative matter. Furthermore, the public manner in which Judge Jefferson acted with respect to Ms. Powell-Lexing on May 15, 1998, created adverse publicity prejudicial to the administration of justice. The audio tapes of the proceeding at issue reveal that Judge Jefferson's tone of voice directed towards the clerk was injudicious, intemperate and abusive throughout. Furthermore, at the conclusion of the hearing, the judge issued an order prohibiting Ms. Powell-Lexing and her counsel from discussing the matter outside the presence of the court. The issuance of this order was not supported in law and demonstrates a further abuse of power by the judge.
The Commission found that the above conduct of the judge violated Canons 1, 2, 3(A)(1)(2)(3) and 3(B)(1) of the Code of Judicial Conduct and La. Const. Art. V, § 25(C). We agree. Canon 1, entitled A judge shall uphold the integrity and independence of the Judiciary, provides that: An independent and honorable judiciary is indispensable to justice in our society. A judge should participate in establishing, maintaining and enforcing, and shall personally observe, high standards of conduct so that the integrity and independence of the judiciary may be preserved. The provisions of this Code are to be construed and applied to further that objective. As a necessary corollary, the judge must be protected in the exercise of judicial independence. Judge Jefferson violated Canon 1 in that he did not maintain or personally observe the high standards of conduct that preserve the integrity of the judiciary. Instead, he demanded that Mr. Pierre immediately meet with him regarding a nonemergency matter, which Judge Jefferson himself brought about, then erroneously held him in contempt of court for not obeying an improperly issued order that he was not obligated to obey. Furthermore, the judge utterly failed to follow the proper procedures for punishing an individual in contempt of court. Judge Jefferson also violated Canon 1 when he held Mr. Pierre in contempt for a second time. He again exceeded and abused his contempt power and judicial authority, thereby calling into question the integrity of the judiciary. He further violated Canon 1 when he used his judicial power to coerce a court employee, unconnected to any case before him, to answer questions about paychecks and other purely internal administrative issues. The judge's behavior, which was extensively reported by the local media, caused damage to the perceived independence and integrity of the Monroe City Court and to the judiciary as a whole. Canon 2, entitled, A judge shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all activities, provides: (A) A judge shall respect and comply with the law and shall act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. Judge Jefferson's conduct similarly violated Canon 2. First, Judge Jefferson did not respect or comply with the law when he held Mr. Pierre in contempt of court. As stated previously, the judge abused his contempt power on three separate occasions. Secondly, the judge's act of demanding that the city prosecutor attend a meeting scheduled at Judge Jefferson's whim, then hauling him into court and holding him in contempt for not doing so immediately, erodes the public's confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. We subscribe to the Commission's characterization of Judge Jefferson's conduct as undermining the judicial process by creating a public perception that a judge has unbridled power to haul people into court and, if they fail to please him, to jail them. Judge Jefferson failed to respect and comply with the law when he misused his contempt power and judicial authority to the detriment of both Mr. Pierre and Ms. Powell-Lexing. His actions cannot be said to promote public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. To the contrary, such actions erode public confidence in the integrity of the judiciary. An editorial that aired on KNOE-TV is particularly troubling: Apparently anyone who disagrees with Judge Jefferson is subject to jailing, at least according to the judge's way of thinking. These antics are getting tiresome and Jefferson's behavior reflects poorly not just on him but also damages the reputation of the entire court. Judge Jefferson needs to learn to deal with his fellow court employers in a rational, mature manner and not with threats and attempts at intimidation. When it comes to actions we think it's Judge Jefferson who's in contempt of court. This editorial could have no effect other than to stigmatize Judge Jefferson's court and erode any public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary in the minds of those citizens who either personally witnessed the conduct or who read about it in the newspaper or saw it on television. For the above-stated reasons, we find that Judge Jefferson's conduct in holding Mr. Pierre and Ms. Powell-Lexing in contempt of court violated the mandates of Canon 2. Canon 3, entitled, A judge shall perform the duties of office impartially and diligently provides: The judicial duties of a judge take precedent over all other activities. Judicial duties include all the duties of office prescribed by law. In the performance of these duties, the following standards apply: A. Adjudicative Responsibilities (1) A judge shall be faithful to the law and maintain professional competence in it. A judge shall be unswayed by partisan interests, public clamor, or fear or criticism. (2) A judge shall maintain order and decorum in judicial proceedings. (3) A judge shall be patient, dignified, and courteous to litigants, jurors, witnesses, lawyers and others with whom the judge deals in an official capacity, and should require similar conduct of lawyers, and of staff, court officials, and others subject to the direction and control to do so. B. Administrative Responsibilities (1) A judge shall diligently discharge the judge's administrative responsibilities without bias or prejudice and maintain professional competence in judicial administration, and should cooperate with other judges and court officials in the administration of court business. Judge Jefferson violated Canon 3 A(1) in that he did not maintain competence in his field. This lack of competence can be seen by the judge's reckless and bad faith handling of the contempt proceedings and imposition of excessive sentences. The judge also violated Section A(2) in that he did not maintain decorum in his courtroom. Instead, the judge used the bench as a pulpit from which to chastise attorneys and court staff. Furthermore, even if Judge Jefferson was correct in demanding that Mr. Pierre meet with him to discuss rumors that he would not honor the new court date set by the judge, the judge did not discharge this arguably administrative responsibility without bias or prejudice and did not cooperate with the prosecutor, as a court official, in the administration of the court's business as demanded by Canons 3(A)(3) and B(1). We also find that Judge Jefferson was swayed by his fear of criticism in the press when he inappropriately issued orders that Mr. Pierre, Ms. Powell-Lexing and their counsel not discuss their cases with anyone outside the presence of the court. We further agree with the Commission that Judge Jefferson violated Canon 3(A)(3) in that he was neither patient, dignified nor courteous to Mr. Pierre or to Ms. Powell-Lexing. Finally, Judge Jefferson also acted in contravention to La. Const. Art. V, § 25(C), which reads as follows: On recommendation of the judiciary commission, the supreme court may censure, suspend with or without salary, remove from office or retire involuntarily a judge for willful misconduct relating to his official duty, willful and persistent failure to perform his duty, persistent and public conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the judicial office into disrepute, conduct while in office which would constitute a felony, or conviction of a felony ... The record reveals that Judge Jefferson improperly believes he is entitled to have persons brought to him by marshals and jailed if they do not conform to his subjective ideas of right and wrong. A judgeship is a position of trust, not a fiefdom. In re Graham, 620 So.2d 1273 (Fla.1993). Judge Jefferson's repeated abuses of contempt power and judicial authority constituted persistent and public conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the judicial office into disrepute under La. Const. art. V, § 25(C). The incidents initiated by Judge Jefferson in open court were widely reported in the news media and ultimately caused members of the public to review both judicial system in Monroe City Court negatively and the judiciary as a whole in disrepute.