Having a thought doesn’t mean you are obliged to share it. That’s where good judgment comes in, which is the sort of skill you’d expect from a person who judges for a living. Unfortunately, judges make mistakes. Even worse, this judge’s screw-up was caught on camera. The Legal Profession Blog has coverage:
Judge [William Burnett Raines] has been charged with an ethics violation by the Illinois Administrator for comments he made when he thought he was not being live-streamed after a hearing where counsel had participated remotely
Respondent, mistakenly believing that the virtual feed of his courtroom had ended, then engaged in a conversation with the Assistant State’s Attorneys and Assistant Public Defenders physically present in his courtroom about the just concluded Myles matter, and, specifically, about Mr. Myles’s attorneys, Ms. Bonjean and Mr. Kennedy. During that conversation, Respondent, referring to Ms. Bonjean, stated: “Did you see her going nuts? Glasses off, fingers through her hair, the phone’s going all over the place. It’s insane.” Respondent further stated that Ms. Bonjean’s behavior “was entertaining” for him and inquired: “Can you imagine waking up to her every day? Oh my God.” Respondent further stated, “You know what? I couldn’t have a visual on that if you paid me. There you have it.”
Judges generally call the shots when it comes to their courtrooms, but there are just some things you don’t say when you’re at work! After catching wind of Judge Raines’s comments, Ms. Bonjean filed to preserve a recording of the livestream. Upon hearing that, Judge Raines probably went nuts, glasses off, fingers through his hair, wondering why in the hell he’d say that while a camera was running. It’s insane.
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The takeaway lesson should be that if the robes are on, you are too. Being buddy-buddy with a coworker doesn’t alleviate you of your obligation to be impartial at your workplace. Save that conversation for the bar after hours — and try to notice if you’re being recorded.
Loose Lips [Legal Profession Blog]
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 [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.