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Judge posts influencer content instead of clearing cases, Dallas County commissioner alleges

Dallas County 255th district court presiding Judge Vonda Bailey.
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Dallas County 255th district court presiding Judge Vonda Bailey.

Dallas County Judge Vonda Bailey is facing accusations that she's contributing to unresolved court cases backups.

Commissioner John Wiley Price said recently that Bailey is among elected county officials who solicited campaign donations from the bench, which he said is a violation of the state election code.

Bailey posted a donation drive video on her social media.

"I've got copies of people doing solicitation out of their office — for campaigns," Price said. "You can't do that. Out of your office? You got the seal of the courthouse. No disclaimer."

Price showed a video of Bailey's social media influencer content in her courtroom during last week's commissioners court meeting.

Creating content also takes away time from the judge clearing cases, Price said.

"I was just so incensed. In the beauty parlor, you're sitting up on the bench. Seals in the background. This is embarrassing."

Bailey, who was elected in 2023 to preside over the 255th District Family Court, did not reply to requests from comment.

Uncleared cases also contribute to jail crowding, which also can subject the county to state sanctions, Price said.

Price says that Bailey has been absent more than 100 days this year and that most of her cases have been handled by her associate judge, Jean Lee.

Judge Lee and Bailey's administrative Judge Andrea Plumlee also did not respond to comment requests.

He said records show less than 30 percent case-clearance from that court, though Bailey had maintained that it's 90 percent.

Court staff indicated and online records show that Bailey is not scheduled to hear cases through at least mid-October.

She is among judges who are scheduled to receive a $25,000 pay supplement that was recently approved in the 2026 fiscal year budget.

Got a tip? Email Marina Trahan Martinez at mmartinez@kera.org. You can follow Marina at @HisGirlHildy.

KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.

Marina Trahan Martinez is KERA's Dallas County government accountability reporter. She's a veteran journalist who has worked in the Dallas area for many years. Prior to coming to KERA, she was on The Dallas Morning News Watchdog investigative and accountability team with Dave Lieber. She has written for The New York Times since 2001, following the 9/11 attacks. Many of her stories for The Times focused on social justice and law enforcement, including Botham Jean's murder by a Dallas police officer and her subsequent trial, Atatiana Jefferson's shooting death by a Fort Worth police officer, and protests following George Floyd's murder. Marina was part of The News team that a Pulitzer finalist for coverage of the deadly ambush of Dallas police officers in 2016.