Conroe – Though she's not admitting she did anything wrong, 258th
District Judge Elizabeth E. Coker walked away from her bench of 14
years after an investigation made it clear she had been influencing
juries and prosecutors during trials.
According
to knowledgeable observers, Judge Coker had been texting to jurors
and members of the District Attorney's staff, sharing tidbits about
procedure, case law, and suggested questions to ask during criminal
trials. Communications of that type between judges and juries,
prosecutors and defense counsel are ethically improper.
The
judge explained that she walked away to avoid the expense and
botheration of a lengthy disciplinary proceeding against her.
"The
Judicial Commission made no finding or determinations of fact in my
voluntary resignation, and I have not admitted guilt, fault or
liability in my voluntary resignation. While I could have fought
these allegations, it would have involved significant time,
significant expense, and disruption to everyone involved. I did not
feel that was in the best interests of the taxpayers, our court
system, my family or myself," Coker stated. "I love this
judicial district. The people deserve a judge that is fully focused
on carrying out their duties, which would have been impossible for me
to do in this situation."
In
a recent issue of “Line Notes,” a publication of the Baylor
Alumni Association, Judge Coker acknowledged that it is her life long
dream to be a jurist.
She
gushed in an article by Daniel Houston, “After Sunday dinner after
church, instead of conversing with the women, I would go into the
living room and talk with my dad and uncle who were both Baylor grads
– and my grandfather about their cases and the law. I cannot think
of a time in my life that I did not want to be a lawyer...”
The
258th
Judicial District comprises Polk, Montgomery, and San Jacinto
Counties.
She
is the past president of the Alumni Association for 2012-13, a Baylor
Law grad, and a third generation Texas jurist.
Baylor alum..thats the problem. Crappy ethics training....good article legen
ReplyDeleteIs anyone confident that any trial in Polk County or even plea bargains were fair and impartial? Even the guilty deserve their constitutional rights.
ReplyDelete