Self-Styled ‘Judge Hard-Ass’ Removed From Duty

// Alabama judge James T. Patterson was suspended and removed from duty by the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission. According to the complaint, Patterson is accused of a variety of judicial misconduct.

Patterson apparently liked to referred to himself as “Prison Patterson” and “Judge Hard-ass,” and repeatedly said that defendants would be raped in prison. He also reportedly called the presiding judge a “goddamn snowflake,” referred to Alabama governor Kay Ivey as “Gov. MeMaw,” and used a fake Asian accent to ask a jury, which included an Asian American, if everyone spoke English.

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He recognized at least some of this was out of pocket — in an apology letter, he said the “Gov. MeMaw” reference was “a poor attempt at humor,” and said the Asian accent debacle was a “stupid, stupid joke.” But the Judicial Inquiry Commission was wildly unimpressed with these “jokes.”

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As reported by ABA Journal, he also really enjoyed cursing in court:

Patterson’s former court reporter said he frequently used the word “a- -” in court as if it was his favorite word. The curse words were not used in anger and were not directed at anyone, however. Some examples are “Oh, s- – -,” and “I forgot his f- – -ing name.” He would also refer to lawyer’s arguments by spelling out the word “bulls- – -,” the complaint says.

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And then there were the written orders:

• Said he canceled a Zoom hearing for fear that it would require someone to appear in person in violation of a stay home order by “Gov. MeMaw.” Before the order went viral, he referred to Ivey as “Gov. MeMaw” on multiple occasions in conversations with attorneys and staff members and even on the bench, the complaint alleged.

• Claimed the county was “dead-a- – broke.”

• Declared sua sponte that court fee statutes were unconstitutional and ordered that 10% of court fees and costs be redirected from the state to the circuit clerk’s office until it was adequately funded. He did not give notice to the state attorney general that he was ruling on the issue, according to the complaint. The state attorney general intervened and sought a writ of mandamus. The Alabama Supreme Court agreed with the attorney general, noting that no party had sought a declaratory judgment on the constitutional issue and “there simply was no case.”

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It’s all a lot. And Patterson, who’d been on the bench since 2017, is declining to comment.

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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Alabama, James T. Patterson, Judicial Misconduct, Legal Ethics