10 years ago this month:

• • The Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct publicly reprimanded a judge for submitting a character reference letter on behalf of an attorney in a reinstatement proceeding, without being duly summoned. Barth, Order (Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct September 7, 2012).
• Based on the presentment of the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct, the New Jersey Supreme Court publicly censured a former judge and disqualified him from holding judicial office for 5 years for initiating ex parte conversations with the prosecutor about a speeding case against his daughter’s former speech teacher, attempting to plea bargain the case with the prosecutor, presiding over the trial despite a partiality for the defendant, and allowing his professional relationship with the prosecutor and police officer to influence his judicial conduct.  In the Matter of Solomon, 51 A.3d 836 (New Jersey 2012).
• Pursuant to the judge’s consent, the North Carolina Judicial Standards publicly reprimanded a judge for failing to enter an equitable distribution judgment for 46 months after the conclusion of the hearing.  Public Reprimand of Edwards (North Carolina Judicial Standards September 17, 2012).
• Adopting stipulated facts and violations, the Ohio Supreme Court suspended a former magistrate’s law license for 1-year (but stayed the suspension) for treating the litigants and their counsel in a case with disdain, permitting the guardian ad litem to lecture the parties on the record, terminating hearings before the parties had presented all their evidence and made a record of their objections, acting on his own whims rather than inquiring into the best interests of the child, failing to resolve any of the matters for more than a year and a half, and failing to conduct hearings in a manner that would permit the judge assigned to the case to resolve the issues in his stead.  Disciplinary Counsel v. McCormack, 977 N.E.2d 598 (Ohio 2012).
• The Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Court of Judicial Discipline removing a judge for her work habits, her handling of truancy cases, her handling of landlord/tenant cases, and her demeanor in 6 cases.  In re Merlo, 58 A.3d 1 (Pennsylvania 2012).
• The Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct publicly warned a judge because the public release of a videotape of him beating his daughter cast reasonable doubt on his capacity to act impartially as a judge and interfered with the proper performance of his judicial duties and for a pattern of incidents in which the judge displayed anger and poor judicial demeanor toward certain attorneys in his courtroom.  Public Warning of Adams (Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct September 4, 2012).