![]() ![]() An expression of disapproval of a judge’s conduct, and may contain a proscription to follow a corrective course of conduct, and may direct professional treatment, counseling, or assistance. Conduct also falls short of conduct that is cause for formal discipline. “Admonishment” is more corrective than an Informal Adjustment. The purpose is to inform the respondent judge of an issue of concern, remind a judge of ethical obligations, recommend changes in behavior or procedures, or suggest an appearance of impropriety that could be avoided. “Informal Adjustment” is a sanction for conduct that is cause for discipline but falls short of conduct that is cause for formal discipline. ![]() For example, in 2013, at the recommendation of the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission, the Arkansas Supreme Court adopted definitions of the available sanctions for Arkansas judges. A public reprimand by the Montana Supreme Court “declares a judge’s conduct unacceptable under one of the grounds for judicial discipline but not so serious as to warrant a censure,” while a public censure is “a public declaration by the Supreme Court that a judge is guilty of misconduct that does not require suspension or removal from office.” All states (except Oklahoma) provide for some type of oral public reproof of a judge, with most having several options - from warning to admonishment (or admonition) to reprimand to censure - to reflect different degrees of misconduct and the presence of aggravating and mitigating circumstances.ĭefining the sanction options is a best practice to help the public understand judicial discipline outcomes but has been adopted in only a handful of states. The rules of the Montana Judicial Standards Commission define the distinction. (See this article, for example.) Although the dictionary definitions suggest the terms are synonymous, in the judicial discipline context, they are different, and what the judge received was the harsher sanction of censure. (The judge will also be suspended without pay for the last month of his term, December 2014.) Many of those stories used the terms “reprimand” and “censure” interchangeably. Numerous news stories covered the Montana Supreme Court’s censure of Judge Todd Baugh for his comments in sentencing a teacher for sexual intercourse without consent with a 14-year-old student, imposing an unlawful sentence, attempting to retract his sentence, and making inappropriate public statements attempting to justify his actions. ![]()
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