Attorney Misconduct, State Judges

Judge Faces Discipline For Allegedly Stealing Business Card Holders

If your job is at stake, maybe steal something more exciting next time?

By  
on

Say you’re a judge who’s had a little too much to drink, and as you’re leaving an event at a social club, you catch a glimpse of some of the most exquisite deco-style business card holders you’ve ever seen. “You must have them, take them,” your alcohol-infused brain demands of you — so you do. You later find out that you’ve been spotted on video taking the card holders. How embarrassing for you.

Welcome to the life of Judge Michael Williams of the Napa County Supreme Court in California. Williams is the supervising judge in the family and juvenile divisions of the court, and he earns about $191,000 a year. Williams now finds himself in trouble with the Commission on Judicial Performance. Here’s what happened after Williams discovered that he’d been caught on camera:

[On March 29, 2016,] the judge sent a package to The City Club containing the holders and an apology letter that said, “I have no excuse but I had a couple of glasses of wine and was not thinking of what I was doing,” the commission said.

Two days later Williams reported to the commission what had happened, blaming his actions on an “unexplainable impulse” to use the holders to display decades-old “joke” business cards he had recently rediscovered.

Williams has been charged with willful misconduct, prejudicial conduct that brings disrepute to the judicial office, and improper action. He could be admonished, censured, or even dismissed from the bench for his conduct.

Napa Judge, Accused of Stealing Business Card Holders, Faces Discipline [The Recorder]

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Sponsored

Topics

, , , , , ,