Three Judges in Trouble: One Reprimanded; One Fired; and One Investigated
Intemperate statements in court and — in one case — allegations of unwanted sexual advances have led to difficult times for three judges, two in Illinois and one in Florida.
The Chicago Tribune reports that a state board that oversees judges said in a complaint that Judge Mauricio Araujo of Cook County made unwanted sexual advances toward a court reporter, made inappropriate sexual comments about a prosecutor and tried to kiss a police officer — a pattern of harassing behavior toward women. The board asked the Illinois Courts Commission to take “appropriate” action against Araujo.
WBEZ Chicago has a report about an associate judge in Cook County who was denied reappointment to the bench in a vote by the county’s circuit judges. Richard Schwind, an associate judge since 2012, had been criticized for racially insensitive comments. He was disciplined last year after WBEZ reported that he told a black defendant, “You were never a slave.”
And in Florida, the state supreme court publicly reprimanded Broward County Circuit Judge Dennis Daniel Bailey for conduct during a criminal trial last year, according to the Miami Herald. Bailey ordered a courtroom deputy to remove a defense attorney during a sidebar conference, in the presence of the jury.
