When is misconduct justified? UH NEVER!!

With all the commotion made about the Milam County District Judge’s race, Liberal Democrat Hollis Lewis has insisted with a new radio ad from an “unattached” third-party that he did nothing wrong as District Attorney and acted in a manner that benefited Milam County – REALLY!!

The ad tries to discredit incumbent Judge John Youngblood as too inexperienced to continue on as District Judge; however, in actuality, Judge Youngblood’s background and expertise are comparable to his predecessor whom recommended Judge Youngblood as did many other well-respected community leaders and state and federally elected officials. And I doubt anyone would be so bold to challenge or discredit Judge Magre in a similar manner as they have Judge Youngblood.

But the question remains that if Mr. Lewis is so well qualified to serve as District Judge then why didn’t he apply to be appointed to the position? There’s really little wonder when you take a stroll through the Milam County District Clerk’s offices.

When your behavior as an elected official receives a mistrial from the court you are serving as District Attorney (and the court you are wishing to be the judge of), followed by an official reprimand from the State Bar of Texas, you are definitely NOT doing the citizens of Milam County any favors and anyone with a modicum of decency would know so. The truth is that if Mr. Lewis had been acting in an ethical and honorable manner as District Attorney then the people of Milam County would not have voted him out of office!

But since there are a few in Milam County who wish to overlook the poor conduct of Mr.Lewis then I am happy to oblige them and post copies of the official documents from the District Clerk’s office here on this blog. These are public records which anyone can look up in the Milam County District Clerk’s office, as well as those at the State Bar Association, so I am not posting anything privileged. It just seems that these documents need to be made more easily available since there is a disinformation campaign going on in support of Mr. Lewis.

As a result, today I am posting the District Court’s FINDING OF FACT AND CONCLUSION OF LAW in a case from March of 1997 when Mr. Lewis was acting as Milam County DistrictAttorney.

Decide for yourself!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Election Year Mail

One of the quirky things about this time of year is all the election mail we all get. Now I don’t normally get anything from the Democrats; it seems they know my address and refuse to send me their liberally rewritten propaganda but I usually have more than my fair share of well-meaning conservatives who are more than happy to share their mail with me.

Today I came home and found a new bit of propaganda from Hollis Lewis. I found a letter from Hollis Lewis starting out with a crying session about how his opponent had been running a negative campaign – Hysterical. Mr. Lewis likes to use his experience as the main reason folks should vote for him and to just shrug off a State Bar of Texas’ reprimand as nothing more than an attack against him for seeking justice as District Attorney – REALLY.

Past history when serving in the courtroom has to have some bearing on an attorney’s status. The attacks Mr. Lewis claims were made against him were in the form of an official reprimand by a Democrat District Judge. His actions as referenced in the reprimand were so egregious that the District Court’s findings resulted in the assault case in question being dismissed and not eligible for retrial. The court found and listed six (6) different incidents where Mr. Lewis, while serving as the Milam County District Attorney, acted in a manner that was unethical, unconstitutional, and was misrepresentative of the facts that “…deprived Defendants of their Constitutional rights...”

Mr. Lewis claims these were attacks against him but in reality the court said that his were deliberate acts that led the court to the several conclusions the first of which is as follows: “The intentional and deliberate misconduct of the District Attorney of Milam County, Texas, Hollis Lewis, bars any subsequent retrial of the Defendants pursuant to the Double Jeopardy Clause of the United States Constitution.”

Well I’m not a legal scholar but I can get the gist of this and I think Mr. Lewis is a little more than misleading when he claims that he “will always stand for Justice, regardless of the consequences.”  Makes one wonder what consequences he is talking about. Apparently, in the past, these consequences have included sanctions by district courts and by the State Bar of Texas that resulted in either criminal defendants being freed or innocent people being unfairly tried – WE DON’T NEED THOSE CONSEQUENCES!!

In 2011 Mr. Lewis had the same opportunity to put his application in to be chosen to replace Judge Magre when he retired and he did not do so. It would seem logical to ask that if Mr. Lewis had the experience and history that would make his selection so clear, then why didn’t he make an attempt to be the appointee to this office? I think we know that reason.

We need the good solid Conservative Leadership of a Judge who is dedicated to doing things in a manner that protects us all as well as our Constitutional Rights.

Judge John Youngblood was selected by the Governor with the recommendation of many community principals, congressional office holders, and judicial leaders as well as that of his immediate predecessor. Apparently they felt that Judge Youngblood was experienced, prepared, and fully qualified to serve as the Judge of the 20^th District Court.

So I guess the question comes down to whom do you trust? Do you trust our elected officials and community leaders, or are you going to listen to a former County Official who was voted out of office following a term in office that was punctuated with a reprimand from the same 20^th District Court he seeks to lead and the State Bar of Texas for actions that deprived citizens of their Constitutional Rights.

The Choice is clear:

Keep

Judge John Youngblood

as Judge of the 20^th District Court!!

Can’t wait to see what’s in tomorrow’s mail,
Bill

Shame on You Texas Home School Coalition!

While I appreciate most of the work done by the Texas Home School Coalition Political action Committee (THSC), I fear that they have bitten off more than they should have in the case of Heather Moody. Mrs. Moody is claiming that Judge Youngblood has given temporary custody of her kids to her estranged husband simply because she home-schooled her kids and the THSC President Tim Lambert has bitten hook, line, and sinker.


Now I’m sure Mr. Lambert works hard to support the political agenda of the THSC, but I also know that Judge Youngblood is a good and respected member of the community and works hard to run the 20th District Court in a professional manner abiding by the law and not rewriting of law as he sees fit. Unfortunately in some cases following the law is not always the easiest of decisions for a judge to follow, but regardless of whether that judge is a Democrat or a Republican, a Liberal or a Conservative, following the law should be their primary concern, not creating or rewriting law.

This divorce is a sad and tragic event as is any divorce in the course of any American family; however, as with any divorce involving children, there are extenuating circumstances that are usually not know by the general public and as with this case they are ruled on as a matter of law and not as a matter of the personal opinion of the sitting judge.

The THSC has presented Mrs. Moody as a saint who has been wronged mightily by the court, but what is the whole story? Do you know? Is she saintly? The truth is we don’t know. And what about this third-hand statement the father made as you have reported? Is this the truth? Has Mrs. Moody been completely truthful in this matter? We don’t know that either. It will be the job of the jury to determine the status of this case and how it plays out if mediation does not work.

Judge Youngblood has ordered Mediation and that is a hard concept for many of us to understand and it is not easy to get through; however, it is successful in many cases and does keep many families out of a jury trial situation thereby keeping many children away from the trauma of having to go into a courtroom and see their family torn apart.

Family law in the state of Texas is very precise about certain issues and requires them to be handled in the certain manner that is not privy to the spot decisions of the judge in charge. What has been presented by the THSC is a compelling argument but it is only one side of the story. There are two sides of the story and unfortunately it appears that the THC has chosen the side that benefits their PAC regardless of the actual facts of the case.

The THSC suggest the voters of Milam County should remove Judge Youngblood for following the Family Law Code as written by the Lawmakers in Austin and replace him with Hollis Lewis. The THSC has officially endorsed Mr. Lewis even though he has a history that includes a 1999 reprimand from the Grievance Committee of the State Bar of Texas finding him guilty of Professional misconduct? A Reprimand he received while serving as County Attorney for Milam County.

In Closing I would say this; I doubt anyone who knows Mr. Lewis and Judge Youngblood would support the THSC’s claim that Mr. Lewis is the more conservative of the two. What they have presented here is a nice hit piece; however, before the THSC and their supporters endorse a candidate I think it important that they look into that candidate’s background. They might be surprised of the skeleton’s hiding in that closet!

All Rise!!
Bill