Legal Director Says State Commission On Judicial Conduct Should Monitor Judge John Clinton
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dotty Griffith, Public Education Director, (512) 478-7300 x 106 or (512) 923-1909, [email protected]
Austin -- The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas today urged the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to investigate allegations that Harris County Court-at-Law Judge John Clinton has used his office to impose his religious viewpoint on persons appearing before him.
“The idea that a sitting judge would use the power of the bench to coerce individuals into accepting his religious beliefs offends the Constitution and should offend all Houstonians. If the allegations we received are true, Judge Clinton’s actions are patently illegal,” said Lisa Graybill, Legal Director of the ACLU of Texas. On Monday, Graybill sent a letter to the judicial commission and to Judge Sherman Ross, Presiding Judge of the Harris County Criminal Court.
Allegedly, Judge Clinton has required or encouraged probationers in his court to complete Bible study exercises and reading assignments from “The Heart of the Problem,” a Bible study book, by Henry Brandt and Kerry L. Skinner. If the allegations are substantiated, Judge Clinton’s actions would be in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, Graybill wrote in the letter.
Though Judge Clinton has since said he will no longer require individuals appearing before him to review sectarian religious materials and impose his personal religious views, “We think an investigation is required. It is inconceivable that a sitting judge could be unaware of the rules of Harris County courts and the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct, as well as First Amendment law,” said Graybill. “Defendants whose rights may have been violated should be aware that the judge’s conduct was illegal and they may be entitled to a remedy. Judge Clinton must be monitored if he is to stay on the bench.”
“Of course, the ACLU of Texas supports alternatives to incarceration and commends judges who seek such alternatives but not when that includes violating the Constitution. There are many constitutional alternatives this judge could have and should have utilized instead, such as community service or counseling,” said Terri Burke, Executive Director of the ACLU of Texas.
