Texas "Youtube Judge" disciplined for behavior on live court streams

TX ABA Journal

quote:

---

The Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct has issued a public warning for a Texas judge, in part because of public comments that she made through her court’s YouTube channel.

---

quote:

---

The commission also found that Boyd “improperly injected herself into the plea bargaining process” in a July 2023 hearing, in which she had rejected a plea agreement submitted by the parties and was informed that defendant Willberth Villamil was withdrawing his plea. According to the commission, Boyd asked Villamil whether he “was willing to accept the 20 years in prison offered by the court” and characterized the case against him as “a ‘life-sentence worthy case.’”

In another October 2024 hearing, Boyd told defendant Thomas Henson that he “was facing 20 years in prison” and directed the court reporter to go “off the record,” the commission said. Boyd, who continued to livestream, then told Henson: “So it appears that you want to go to prison to be passed around for cigarettes or dessert. Because that’s what’s going to happen to you. Because you’re young. And they will think you are attractive at the prison.”

---

For those who don't know, one of the great things that emerged during Covid was court on Zoom. Certain states (Michigan and Texas in particular, but other states like GA are pretty prolific) live stream a LOT of their court cases.

There are a few TX judges who have become mini celebrities.

Judge Boyd is from San Antonio and I've actually made an OT thread about one of her cases in the past.

Judge Fleischer in Houston was probably the most popular, but I don't think he live streams anymore because the local bar started getting mad at him and election season started up. He's the one with the bowtie you may have seen in a Reel or YT Short.

I have to imagine over time, we're going to start seeing judges disciplined for YT behavior like we see lawyers disciplined for hallucinated AI case law.