Texas Judge Disciplined For Religious-Cultural Bias

The Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct last week issued a Public Admonition (full text) against Texas state trial court judge Carter Tinsley Schildknecht, finding in part that she:

manifested a religious and/or cultural bias by describing District Attorney Munk as a “New York Jew” and by criticizing a prosecutor’s beard because it made him look like a “Muslim.”

Other charges involved a court session that lasted until 4:00 AM without breaks and an order refusing to allow the District Attorney to enter the court room. Besides the admonition, the judge was ordered to complete an additional four hours of education with a mentor on open courts and eliminating bias. Texas Lawyer reports on the Commission's action.