Recently, a judge in Alabama was summarily removed from the bench after committing numerous ethics violations.
Former Judge Nakita Blocton of Jefferson County, who is black, was removed for assailing another judge as an “Uncle Tom,” a highly derogatory phrase for conservative African-Americans, as well as for insulting another judge by referring to her as a “fat b—h.” Blocton also referred to an employee as a “heifer,” as revealed by the substantive findings of a complaint that had been filed against the now-former judge for her repeated violations of ethics codes.
The investigative commission also determined that Blocton routinely engaged in abusive behavior towards staff, employees, attorneys, and litigants, openly bullying and belittling various individuals.
Over the course of the investigation, Blocton demanded access to her employees’ personal cell phone records, as well as access to their personal log-in credentials in order to remove incriminating material that would reveal her bullying, authoritarian ways.
In addition to the unprecedented demands for personal data, Blocton also ordered all of her employees to work wildly unreasonable hours, which oftentimes spanned late into the night, per the report from the investigative commission.
Despite allegedly spending “substantial” time in the office, Blocton also routinely failed to fulfill her basic duties as a judge, notably by being unable to address a massive backlog of cases.
Of the two judges who were assigned to manage the massive backlog of cases, one remarked that Blocton had an “appalling” number of cases left, most of which had been pending for a highly inappropriate amount of time without any resolution. Per the judge, such delays comprise “a black eye” to the American judicial system.
In addition, Blocton astonishingly used numerous fake Facebook accounts in order to contact litigants directly in various domestic relations cases that remained pending, ostensibly to interfere with the varied cases’ outcome, per the commission.
Consequently, Blocton was found to have engaged in a long-term “pattern of dishonesty and deception” through using fake Facebook accounts, as well as for demanding that possible witnesses delete evidence pertaining to the commission’s investigation, thereby attempting to influence their pertinent testimony.
Through one of her fake Facebook accounts, Blocton apparently sent a threatening message to a person involved in divorce litigation, declaring, “LEAVE THOSE BLACK WOMEN DEMOCRATS ALONE” and “THE DEVIL IS WATCHING U.”
Other allegations were levied against Blocton, including her alleged use of drugs, though insufficient evidence was gathered for that accusation.
Regardless, all nine judges sitting on the Alabama Court of the Judiciary voted in favor of removing Blocton from the bench. Blocton was also ordered to pay for the costs of the judges’ proceeding.
Blocton’s attorney offered a weak explanation to Above the Law, remarking that the firm was “disappointed they removed her from the bench.”
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