Whether it's adding insult to injury, or injury to insult, I cannot tell anymore, but the Texas Civil Rights Project this week filed a complaint with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct in the wake of Judge Sharon Keller's record fine from the Texas Ethics Commission last week, which found 13 separate violations of misdemeanor statutes.
See TCRP's press release.
Regular readers know that a separate complaint with the SCJC has been wending its way through the process and the commission will hear oral arguments in Judge Keller's ongoing removal proceedings June 18.
I wonder when the TCRP became so concerned about ethical lapses by elected officials. Have they ever filed a similar complaint against any other public official in the past? Or is this simply an opportunistic effort on their part to take a shot at a conservative jurist who consistently upholds jury verdicts against criminals?
ReplyDeleteEither way, 8:10, it's a shot that's likely to hit its mark. The Ethics Commission already confirmed the violations they complained about.
ReplyDeleteIt's telling that you're more worried about TCRP's track record than the fact that the Presiding Judge on the state's highest criminal court was concealing six-figures worth of annual income while asking taxpayers to pay for her lawyer.
One wonders if she also "forgot" when reporting income to the IRS?
We know Sharon Keller did not disclose almost a couple hundred thousand dollars in income to the Texas Ethics Commission for the years 2006 and 2007. She may also have failed to report income before 2006, but the statute of limitations expired on her filings before 2006.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if she also failed to report income to the IRS. Only the IRS can investigate that I suppose. I hope the IRS has seen the news of her failing to report income to the TEC and decide to audit her returns to make sure she reported it to the IRS.
Sharon Keller should voluntarily release her income tax returns to show that she is complying with federal tax laws better than she complied with Texas law.
In her filings with the TEC: for 2006, Keller left off assets that included stock, certificates of deposit, eight sources of income totaling at least $61,500, honoraria of $3,760 and eight real estate interests worth more than $2.4 million. Omissions for 2007 included stock, certificates of deposit, income of $121,500, honoraria of $6,010 and property interests worth almost $2.9 million.
What is really sad is that I don't believe she will suffer any negative consequence whatsoever. She will probably stay on the Court and run for re-election, and, she will probably win. The post by 5/13 @ 8:10 demonstrates the way a lot of voters think. Sad.
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