BURLESON CO. JP REPRIMANDED OVER COURT COMMENTS
The State Commission on Judicial Conduct has reprimanded a Burleson County Justice of the Peace for comments made during two separate court proceedings in 2019.
Earlier this month, the Commission reviewed allegations against Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace James Baldwin. After investigating the two incidents, the Commission found that Baldwin made racist or bigoted comments about the people in his court, and issued a public reprimand and order of additional education.
One of the incidents investigated by the Commission involved a magistrate hearing for Chester Jackson, Jr. on April 21, 2019, following his arrest for public intoxication. The state’s report indicated that another justice of the peace could not magistrate Jackson the night prior because Jackson was acting incoherently. Baldwin was also unable to complete the magistration process because Jackson, according to the report, “continued to speak and act incoherently.”
The Commission’s report said that Baldwin was overheard by a DPS Trooper and a dispatcher for the Burleson County Sheriff’s Office talking about Jackson, with both saying they heard Baldwin say Jackson “needs to be hung” and “with a ******* noose around his neck.” Baldwin told the Commission his comment was instead that Jackson “needed to be hung by his feet, so his brains would get out of his *** and back on top of his shoulders and between his ears. That way he can make a good decision.”
Jackson, who is Black, continues his recovery at a long-term care facility in Austin after incidents that occurred while in Burleson County custody two years ago. Jackson’s attorney, U.A. Lewis, said his family is proceeding with a civil rights lawsuit against the county that is pending in federal court in Austin. She expects an additional lawsuit will be filed soon against Cross Creek Psychiatric Hospital in Austin, where Jackson was taken by Burleson County deputies after his stay at the jail, and where he lost consciousness after being sedated and put into a hold.
The other incident concerned an eviction lawsuit on April 17, 2019. The Commission said Baldwin signed a judgment granting the property owner possession and back rent. One of the two people evicted later reached out to Baldwin, saying they were having trouble recovering their possessions and the trailer they lived in from the property owner. According to the Commission, the letter Baldwin signed said the eviction defendants were “awarded the trailer,” but the Commission found that Baldwin lacked jurisdiction to determine the right of possession to the trailer. In his testimony before the Commission, Baldwin said that “the class of people” he was dealing with influenced his handling of the eviction suit.
Baldwin was determined to have violated several canons of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct, and must obtain 11 hours of instruction in addition to his required judicial education. In particular, the Commission said he should receive seven hours of education on eviction law and four hours concerning diversity and social justice issues.