Opinion ID: 1690639
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: alleged misconduct of judge soud

Text: Jones filed a verified motion to disqualify Judge Soud in September 1997, alleging that Judge Soud had, prior to his appointment to the bench, represented him on an unrelated criminal matter in 1969. Jones alleged that during the course of that representation Judge Soud accepted a $700 bribe to be delivered to presiding Judge Harvey to ensure that Jones would receive a lesser sentence. As alleged proof of his allegations, Jones introduced the court file of his 1969 case, which names as defendants both Jones and Willie Badger. The only mention of Judge Soud in that file is a rubber-stamped entry: A.C. Soud, Attorney for `Deft' present in court. Neither the stamp nor the court file reveals which defendant Judge Soud represented. Alberta Brown, the source of these claims against Judge Soud, testified that she gave Jones' mother part of the $700 bribe for Judge Soud to deliver to Judge Harvey. Despite the fact that Jones, the father of her four children, has been under three death warrants since his 1981 conviction, Brown failed to come forward with these allegations until September 1997, after Jones' most recent warrant was signed, more than twenty-eight years after the alleged bribery and sixteen years after he was sentenced to death. She explained that her failure to come forward was based on her concerns that Jones' mother might get in trouble for the bribery. Jones' mother died shortly before Brown made these allegations. Judge Soud testified at the evidentiary hearing and denied these allegations, insisting that he had no recollection of ever representing Jones or of the particular case. He testified that he had never given bribe money to any judge and that such conduct would be offensive and outrageous to him. Judge Soud did recall representing Jones' half-brother and becoming acquainted with Jones' mother during the course of that representation. It is undisputed that Judge Soud submitted a written disclosure of this representation to all parties prior to the 1981 trial, and that both the prosecutor and Jones signed this disclosure, agreeing that they had no objection to Judge Soud's continuing in the case. Judge Soud also testified without contradiction that during all the proceedings against Jones, neither Jones nor his attorneys had ever suggested that he had represented Jones or that Jones recognized him. Based on all the above, Judge Johnson found that there was no credible evidence that Judge Soud had ever taken any money from anyone to pay a bribe or that would require Judge Soud to disclose a possible representation of a defendant twelve years before trial, of which he had absolutely no recollection. He found this ground for vacating the judgment and sentence to be completely meritless. We agree with Judge Johnson's analysis and conclusion, finding no abuse of discretion. As to the claim of misconduct, Alberta Brown, the source of the allegations against Judge Soud and the mother of Jones' four children, waited sixteen years after Jones was sentenced to death to come forward. Her explanation that the delay was caused by her concern for Jones' mother is not credible in light of the fact that Jones has been under sentence of death since 1981. There is no credible evidence to support Jones' claim that Judge Soud bribed Judge Harvey on behalf of Jones. There is also no credible evidence that Judge Soud even represented Jones in his 1969 case. Jones did not testify that Judge Soud represented him, and his lawyers admit that Jones has no recollection of that representation. Common sense dictates that Judge Soud would not disclose his representation of Jones' half-brother yet fail to disclose his representation of Jones if he had in fact previously represented Jones or had any recollection of such representation. Assuming arguendo that Judge Soud did represent Jones, the trial court specifically found, as Judge Soud testified, that Judge Soud had no recollection of such representation. Judge Soud could not conceivably make such a disclosure if he had no recollection of ever representing Jones. Based on the foregoing, we find this issue to be completely devoid of merit.