A Texas judge was publicly warned for her mishandling of four child sex crime cases and conduct in the courtroom.
The Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC) slapped a public sanction on Melissa Morris after they say she curtailed probation for four pedophiles who pleaded guilty in a 2024 sex crime case.
Morris ‘failed to be patient, dignified, and courteous,’ toward a prosecutor who requested hearings to have her reconsider her rulings for the perps, per the warning.
The judge emailed District Attorney Ryan Kent, accusing him of having a ‘lack of professionalism and respect.’
‘Please renew your commitment to professionalism,’ Morris wrote, according to the warning.
‘As I am certain that Mr Teare does not celebrate prosecutors who behave in a manner inconsistent with the mandate of respect and integrity.’
The commission also wrote Morris ‘breached grand jury secrecy’ after she sent sensitive information about the subpoena to defense counsel.
Former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg told local outlet The Texan that Morris’s actions breached her ‘duty as a judge.’
‘Protecting innocent crime victims from sexual predators is one of the most important responsibilities we hold as officers of the court,’ Ogg told the outlet.
‘The duty of a judge is to uphold all the law, not just the parts they agree with,’ she added.
The former DA added that the early probation termination ended up benefiting the pedophiles – who were later deported – because it ended before they were required to register as sex offenders.
She said that if they try to return to the US, they would not have an active arrest warrant for their heinous crimes.
Ogg also touched upon the email breach, telling the outlet that intentionally leaking grand jury information is a crime.
‘By tipping off the defense attorneys, she gave the criminal defendant a huge advantage which also endangered the public,’ Ogg told the outlet, adding that Morris ‘earned this shameful public reprimand.’
Hellbound and Down 