Saturday, May 1, 2010

The appeals keep on going for Court of Criminal Appeals Judge

That is one big honking fine.

Yup.


Judge now is facing $100,000 ethics fine
By R.G. Ratcliffe - Houston Chronicle

AUSTIN — Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge Sharon Keller plans to appeal the record $100,000 fine levied against her Friday by the Texas Ethics Commission for failing to fully disclose her personal finances.

Keller also has been fighting to hold onto her bench against charges raised by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct that she brought discredit to the judiciary by closing the court to a death row inmate's appeals in 2007 just hours before he was executed.

A special master found Keller did nothing legally wrong, but prosecutors are appealing that decision.
The ethics commission fined Keller for failing to report stock, honoraria and more than $2.4 million in Dallas real estate holdings on her 2007 and 2008 personal financial disclosure statements.

The rest of the story: