He’s really in hot water right now.
A Las Vegas judge, who is running for office with the support of the Socialist Democrats of America, has come under fire for his social media posts, in which he complained about working early following Billie Eilish’s concerns — and posed with two public defenders in a hot tub.
Clark County District Court Judge Erika Ballou has been handed a formal statement of charges by the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline for two separate social media posts that undermined public confidence in her judicial judgment as part of an ethics violation investigation.
Ballou, who was sworn in on Jan. 4, 2021, faces two counts of violating the “revised Nevada Code of Judicial Conduct,” according to official charges seen by The Post.
The judge attended the “Life is Beautiful” music festival on Sept. 19, 2021 and made “an inappropriate statement about his judicial duties on social media,” at 10:46 p.m., according to official charges seen by The Post.
“Life is STILL beautiful, despite the fact that Bille Eilish didn’t START for 30 minutes and I have an 8:30 calendar tomorrow,” Ballou allegedly posted on Instagram, along with the hashtags “VacateTheS–tOuttaOutofCustodyCases” and “WherelnTheWorldIsCarmenSanDiego.”
The commission found Ballou’s position violated three of the four “Canons” in the code of judicial conduct including Canon 1, Rule 1.1: “A judge shall uphold and promote the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary and shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety.”
Ballou’s accused of violating the “Nevada Revised Code of Judicial Conduct” for his Instagram post with the hashtag to “vacate custody case.” Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline
The judicial code also requires that “the duties of the judicial office, as prescribed by law, shall take precedence over all personal and extrajudicial activities.”
The post also violates the requirement that the judge’s personal life takes a backseat to judicial activities.
“A judge shall carry out personal and non-judicial activities to minimize the risk of conflict with the duties of the judicial office,” according to Canon.
A judge may engage in extra-legal activities, except as prohibited by law or this Code of Conduct. However, when engaging in extra-legal activities, judges may not participate in activities that would interfere with the proper exercise of the judge’s judicial duties;
Ballou’s second count refers to Facebook posts made by the judge along with two individuals, identified by the Commission as public defenders, in April 2022.
The post captures a bikini-clad Ballou with her arm around a shirtless Robson Hauers as another woman, Shauna Browers, stands next to them in a hot tub.
“Robson surrounded by great breasts,” the post was captioned.
Hauser is a Deputy Public Defender with the Clark County Public Defender’s Office, while the Brouwers serve as an Attorney with the same office, according to their LinkedIn profiles.
Ballou is accused of violating the first three “Canons”, including Canon 2, Rule 2.4 (C) which states “A judge shall not convey or permit another person to convey the impression that any person or organization is in a position to influence the Judge.”
Ballou’s remarks had previously drawn scrutiny because of the anti-police advice he made in the courtroom that led to calls for his resignation from the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, the union that represents Metro police officers.
“You are the one who decided not to leave the police. You are a black man in America. You know you don’t want to be anywhere where the police are,” Ballou said in July 2022. “You know you don’t want to be anywhere with the police because I know I don’t, and I’m a middle-class black woman who aged I don’t want to be where the police are because I don’t know if I’m going to leave alive or not.”
“Hey, Judge, you’re an embarrassment to the bench,” the police union tweeted at that time. “You have insulted the cloak you wear. You need to resign immediately.”
Before his judicial career, Ballou was a public defender and social justice organizer and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, according to the outlet.
Ballou’s second count refers to Facebook posts the judge made with two individuals, identified by the Commission as public defenders, in April 2022. Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline
As a public defender, Ballou staged a protest in 2016 after he defied a judge’s order asking him to remove a “Black Lives Matter” button from his shirt, because statements of political protest or opinion are not allowed in the courtroom.
A public hearing for Ballou’s ethics case has not yet been set.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
