Thursday, October 19, 2017

1st District Court of Appeal Judges Implicated in Cover Up of Serial Misconduct by Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Bruce Mills

Justice Kathryn Werdegar, Justice Vance Raye 3rd District - California 1st District Court of Appeal Justice J. Anthony Kline, Justice James A. Richman, Justice Therese M. Stewart, Justice Marla J. Miller First District Court of Appeal California Justice Miguel M. Marquez -Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Jill Fannin, Judge Steve Austin, Judge Bruce Mills, Judge Edward Weil, Superior Court of California County of Contra Costa - Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye
Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Bruce Mills is facing two new charges of misconduct by the Commission on Judicial Performance.

The CJP is the controversial state agency responsible for investigating complaints of judicial misconduct and for disciplining judges.

From the East Bay Times report:
MARTINEZ — A Contra Costa judge with a history of ethics violations was charged with judicial misconduct that could warrant his removal from the bench, records obtained Tuesday show.
The two counts of misconduct include allegations that Judge Bruce C. Mills illegally doubled the sentence of a judicial rights advocate who Mills had found to be in contempt of court. Mills jailed the man for discussing his divorce online, a decision that First Amendment experts called, “outrageous” and a free speech violation.

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Court of Appeal Judges Immunity from Commission on Judicial Performance Accountability Revealed at California Assembly Budget Committee Hearing



In this video clip, Commission on Judicial Performance whistleblower and court reform advocate Joe Sweeney testifies at a California Assembly Budget Committee hearing on March 28, 2016. The commission is solely responsible for oversight and accountability of judges in the state. 

Several days before the hearing, Sweeney's court modernization and reform organization, Court Reform LLC, released a 78-page report which raised questions about CJP judicial misconduct statistical data and how the agency spends taxpayer funds. 


The report, Why a Spotlight must be put on the Commission on Judicial Performance, also charged that CJP operations are shielded by an excessive and unprecedented level of secrecy for a government agency. In this four minute video, Sweeney explains to the committee the methodology and results of Court Reform LLC's six month investigation into the policies and practices of the CJP.