Drinking

Judge Punished For Going To Court Drunk, Peeing In The Street

She had to spend three days in an intensive care unit for severe alcohol intoxication...

By Staci Zaretsky on September 12, 2014 3:34 pm

Here at Above the Law, we write about judges who bring shame to the judiciary all the time, but the subject of today’s foray into judicial misconduct is a wicked pisser — literally. We know things must get boring out in flyover country, Iowa specifically, but this is just crazy (and sad, but mostly crazy).

Let’s meet a judge who once got so wasted as she attempted to report to work at the courthouse that she later spent three days in an intensive care unit for severe alcohol intoxication…

According to the Iowa City Press-Citizen, Judge Emily Dean has been suspended, without pay, for 30 days following earlier incidents dating back to May 2012 that brought her sobriety into question:

Fort Madison-based District Associate Judge Emily Dean was drinking a “colorless liquid” on May 9, 2012, while her court reporter was driving her from Fort Madison to Mount Pleasant, according to a ruling today from the Iowa Supreme Court. Dean fell asleep in the car and when she arrived at the courthouse an employee in the county attorney’s office convinced her she could not work.

Later that day, Dean was taken to a hospital intensive care unit for “severe alcohol intoxication” and stayed for three days. …

An investigation found other incidents, including a May 2012 report that a woman driving a car owned by Dean’s husband had urinated in a public street. The resident who filed a complaint followed the car back to Dean’s mother’s residence; Dean admitted in a letter that she “could not remember what happened and could not deny” the report….

Judge Dean later acknowledged that she was in a “black out state” on May 9, 2012, and “[did] not recall the events” that transpired. Her blood alcohol content level was redacted from the Iowa Judicial Qualifications Committee’s recommendation. Underneath her robes? A bottle of Grey Goose, perhaps.

Here’s more from the Iowa JQC on the judicial scrutiny Judge Dean exercised whilst peeing in the street:

Lovely. Judge Dean was supposed to be suspended for three months without pay, but the sentence was reduced to a 30-day suspension without pay due to progress she’d made in confronting her alcoholism.

We suspect that when Judge Dean returns to work, the only “colorless liquid” she’ll be drinking is water.

On a more serious note, if you have a problem with drugs or alcohol, there are friends, family, and colleagues you can call. Please reach out to Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, or any Lawyer Assistance Program to get the help that you need. You’ll be happy that you did.

Iowa judge suspended for coming to work intoxicated [Iowa City Press-Citizen]
Iowa Judge Suspended After She Showed Up To Work Drunk And Pissed In The Street [Barstool Sports]