Judge’s inappropriate comments will not be tolerated, according to the California Commission on Judicial Performance.
Judge Jeffrey Bennett of Ventura County, California, has been censured after lude comments including statements about “smoking hot” women and having the “biggest balls in the courthouse,” among others. The California Commission on Judicial Performance wrote in its decision, “Judge Bennett’s misconduct mostly involves saying things no judge should say – comments and remarks that are offensive, undignified, discourteous, dishonest, sexist, profane, and create the appearance of bias and retaliation….Bennett’s comment to a black defendant reflects a disregard for the racial overtones of such a remark and manifests insensitivity to individuals appearing in court before him.” Bennett felt an African American defendant was giving him vague responses to his questions, so he told him to stop “shucking and jiving.”
Accusations against the judge were extensive. The commission also said that Bennett did all of the following:
“Said in front of a prosecutor that he was the ‘only one in the courthouse with the balls to make a ruling,’ or words to that effect. He also told attorneys in a courthouse hallway something to the effect of: ‘I have the biggest balls in the courthouse. I’m probably the only judge who has the balls to admit when I’ve made the wrong decision’;
Said in a courtroom conversation that ‘chicks really liked the Rolls-Royce’ he had washed for the owner and driven to a coffee shop. He also told a prosecutor and lawyer in chambers that ‘he wouldn’t spend so much time with the telescope he installed on his roof if he had a 20-year-old smoking hot blonde wife,’ or words to that effect;
Told lawyers in his chambers that he ‘prefers to take his flu shot in the ass,’ told a prosecutor in chambers that she was ‘taking a chicken shit position,” and told two prosecutors that another prosecutor handling a hearing before him was “dumb as shit’;
Told lawyers during a trial that he ‘didn’t care about them, but he did care about jurors because they are voters’;
Excluded evidence from the state attorney general’s office and told the prosecutor who objected, ‘You can tell [California Attorney General Xavier] Becerra that’s what he gets for going against my president,’ or words to that effect;
Told a prosecutor after a hearing that she didn’t have to ‘act like a scared little girl in my courtroom’;
Told a prosecutor he ‘wasn’t sure if he wanted to shake his hand’ because the judge believed the prosecutor was ‘the source of a prior complaint to the judicial commission.’ Bennett falsely stated he ‘spent $10,000 for his defense in the matter’;
Used the words ‘f- – -ing’ and ‘shit’ in an in-chambers meeting with lawyers.”
The Commission contended, “Judges are expected to display appropriate demeanor and decorum, and not to use crass or sexist words and imagery, as Judge Bennett has done. For example, Judge Bennett’s references to his ‘balls’ and his ‘ass’ diminish the dignity of his office. His gratuitous comments about ‘chicks’ liking a car, and to not spending so much time with his telescope if he had a ‘20-year-old smoking hot wife,’ are sexist and unseemly. His use of profanity, such as ‘f- – -ing’ and ‘shit,’ degrades the decorum of the court and reflects negatively on the judiciary…Finally, Judge Bennett’s pattern of undignified, discourteous, and offensive remarks to and about prosecutors not only creates the appearance of bias against them, but also undermines public perception of the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.”
Sources:
INQUIRY CONCERNING JUDGE JEFFREY G. BENNETT
Judge is censured for ‘crass’ and ‘sexist’ remarks, comment with ‘racial overtones’
Join the conversation!