Courts

Robe Rage: Angry Judge Gives Some Unsolicited Parenting Advice On The Heel Of Pulling A Rifle On His Stepson

Hard to establish order in the court with a rattled temperament.

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Furiously angry judge waves gavel, shouts and points threateningly

There is a reason judges are supposed to be calm, cool, and collected. Court dates can be stressful enough even when all the parties are on time and minding their Ps and Qs. But things aren’t always as they should be. When court antics inevitably happen in real life, you’d expect it from the plaintiffs or the defendants. If you’re reading ATL, you’re probably assuming it’s stemming from an attorney’s actions gone awry. But the worst offenses happen when judges are the ones throwing a temper tantrum.

A former Summit County judge violated judicial codes of conduct when he lost his temper during two court proceedings last year, according to a public censure handed down Monday, May 15, by the Colorado Supreme Court.

Just two days after he returned to the bench after serving a disciplinary suspension for threatening his stepson with an AR-15 style rifle, now-former Judge Mark Thompson berated the attorneys in a case and threatened to have them jailed, the censure states.

A day later, Thompson “again acted with intemperance” by insulting the parties of a domestic relations case, the Supreme Court wrote in the censure.

“Thompson acknowledges that he has not fully resolved concerns raised in his prior disciplinary proceedings that relate to his ability to manage anger and maintain a respectful demeanor,” the censure states.

When he lost his temper in those two cases in November, Thompson had just returned to the bench from a monthlong, unpaid suspension imposed by the Colorado Supreme Court after he pleaded guilty to threatening his stepson with a gun in July 2021.

I’d say it goes without saying, but if shit like this happens back to back, it apparently needs to be said — this is not behavior befitting a judge. This isn’t to say that judges ought be emotionless automatons who merely carry out the law. It is to say that judges should… you know… display good judgment. Back in 2013, Terry Maroney did an in-depth study of how judicial displays of emotion can affect parties involved. Her findings on displays of anger are pertinent here:

[E]xpressing anger can sometimes “serve an important teaching function—showing the defendant the gravity of her situation or demanding appropriate respect for authority,” while at other times it “might instead reflect intemperance and, stated bluntly, a power trip,” she said.

This may be a bold move on my part, but I am going to go with the assumption that Judge Thompson’s display of fury was driven more by ego than righteousness. And, for those moved more by professional obligations than empathy, a reminder of the ABA’s Standard 6-3.4 on courtroom demeanor has some choice words:

(a) The trial judge should be a model of dignity and impartiality. The judge should exercise restraint over his or her conduct and utterances. The judge should remain neutral regarding the proceedings at all times, suppress personal predilections, control his or her temper and emotions, and be patient, respectful, and courteous to defendants, jurors, witnesses, victims, lawyers, and others with whom the judge deals in an official capacity. The judge should not permit any person in the courtroom to embroil him or her in conflict, and should otherwise avoid personal conduct which tends to demean the proceedings or to undermine judicial authority in the courtroom.

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Do better, former Judge Thompson. Angry judges and dire straits don’t mix well.

Colorado Supreme Court Reprimands Former Summit County Judge Mark Thompson Over Loss Of Temper [Summit Daily]

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.

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