A special court on Thursday dismissed all judicial sanctions against former Dallas County judge Amber Givens, who is set to become the county’s next district attorney.
In a six-page opinion, Texas’ Special Court of Review ruled evidence didn’t support the allegation that Givens — then judge of Dallas County’s 282nd District Court — allowed her court coordinator to conduct a virtual hearing in her place in 2021.
Nor did the evidence support allegations that Givens intentionally put a man in jail and revoked another’s bond after she recused herself from their cases, the court ruled.
The court also dismissed allegations Givens mistreated attorneys who practiced in her court or showed prejudice toward members of the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, which filed a complaint against her to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
The commission, responsible for disciplining state judges, issued a public reprimand and admonition against Givens over those incidents last year. Givens then appealed the discipline to the special court, which led to a trial in February.
While testimony and other evidence showed Givens was “certainly a polarizing individual,” the court wrote, the Dallas County district clerk’s software was flawed and made it hard for a judge to know if a motion to recuse had been filed or granted. The evidence also showed trial courts faced many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There were a number of inconsistencies in the testimony regarding specific incidents that are understandable after such a passage of time,” the opinion reads. “However, when taken as a whole, the evidence before this Special Court of Review does not prove the violations alleged against Judge Amber Givens by a preponderance of the evidence.”
The Special Court of Review is comprised of three intermediate state appellate court justices chosen by the Texas Supreme Court chief justice to review discipline issued by the commission.
"To God be the glory," Givens said in a Facebook post about the ruling Thursday. KERA News reached out to Givens directly and will update this story with any response.
Givens' attorney in the appeal, Chip Babcock, told KERA News the court's decision was gratifying. The evidence, Babcock said, showed members of the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association were trying to get Givens off the bench.
"Everybody has the right to petition government if they feel they've been wronged," Babcock said, "but certainly the person who's being complained about has a right to defend themselves, and Judge Givens did so and very effectively because the charges were just totally without merit."
KERA News also reached out to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct for comment and will update this story with any response.
Two probation officers testified at trial that they'd heard Givens' former court coordinator Arceola Warfield speak during an August 2021 hearing when the judge was supposed to be speaking, The Dallas Morning News reported. The Texas Rangers investigated the matter, but prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges against Givens over the incident.
Givens testified at trial that she was working remotely, called Warfield on the phone and had her hold the phone up to Warfield's computer so Givens could preside over the hearing, the News reported.
The former judge also denied mistreating attorneys in her court and said she didn't know she had been recused from the two men's criminal cases because of issues with the Dallas County district clerk's computer system.
Givens, a Democrat, resigned from the bench to run for Dallas County District Attorney against fellow Democrat and incumbent John Creuzot. Givens won the March primary and, because no Republican candidates filed to run for DA, Givens will be elected in November and take office next year.
Toluwani Osibamowo is KERA’s law and justice reporter. Got a tip? Email Toluwani at tosibamowo@kera.org.
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