20 years ago this month:

• Approving an agreed statement of facts and joint recommendation, the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct publicly admonished a judge for (1) making numerous calls to party officials supporting the re-election of the county chair and (2) a payment from his campaign committee to the county Democratic committee that exceeded the reasonable value of any services the committee provided to the judge’s campaign.  In the Matter of Farrell, Determination (New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct June 24, 2004).
• The Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct publicly warned a judge for offering to act as an intermediary in an effort to secure absentee votes for a candidate for county commissioner.  Public Warning of Webber (Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct June 11, 2004).
• Based on the recommendations of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, a Review Tribunal Appointed by the Texas Supreme Court removed a judge from office for (1) failing to timely and properly receipt, deposit, and account for monies received by the court in more than a thousand instances over more than 5 years; (2) failing to file required reports in more than a few instances over almost 2 years; and (3) failing to timely execute the business of the court so that approximately 22,000 citations were unprocessed; the Review Tribunal also prohibited the judge from holding judicial office in the future.  In re Rose, 144 S.W.2d 661 (Review Tribunal Appointed by the Texas Supreme Court 2004).
• Based on a stipulation and agreement, the Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct publicly reprimanded a judge for writing “NTG” on hundreds of defendants’ judgment and sentence forms, generally understood to be an acronym for “Nail This Guy.”  In re Burns, Stipulation, agreement, and order (Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct June 8, 2004).
• Based on a stipulation and agreement, the Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct publicly admonished a judge for, without justification, terminating his participation in a conference in Hawaii, which had been paid for in part by the city, to pursue non-judicial activities.  In re deVilla, Stipulation, agreement, and order (Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct June 18, 2004).
• Based on a stipulation and agreement, the Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct publicly censured a judge for (1) failing to properly advise unrepresented defendants of their constitutional rights and (2) providing legal research and assistance to the municipalities she serves.  In re Ottinger, Stipulation, agreement, and order (Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct June 8, 2004).