Texas judges' misdeeds often kept secret by oversight commission

Commission on Judicial Conduct says state law requires it to keep much of what it does private.

In 2008, a Texas judge found an out-of-town attorney in contempt of court. But, the judge added, there was a way the lawyer could avoid jail: He could donate "large sums of money" to several charitable organizations, one of which the judge happened to have a close connection to.

Want to know more about the judge and his charity? You can't; it's confidential.

Nor can you find out any more details about the judge who, in 2003, "while traveling on a state highway at nighttime with his family, chased, stopped, and arrested another motorist based on his perception that the motorist had committed a traffic offense. ... During the incident, the judge displayed a handgun for which he did not have a license to possess," according to available public records.

More at http://www.statesman.com/news/statesman-investigates/texas-judges-misdeeds-often-kept-secret-by-oversight-2305404.html