Dorothea Batiste
Dorothea Batiste is a former Republican Place 23 judge for Circuit 10 in Alabama. She was initially elected to the court in 2010. Batiste ran for re-election but lost in the general election on November 8, 2016.
Biography
Batiste received her undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama and her J.D. from the Birmingham School of Law. She was an attorney in private practice from 2003 to 2010.[1]
Elections
2016
Alabama held general elections for local judicial offices in 2016. A primary election took place on March 1, 2016, with a primary runoff on April 12, 2016. The general election was held on November 8, 2016.
Agnes Chappell defeated incumbent Dorothea Batiste in the general election for the Alabama 10th Judicial Circuit Place 23 seat.[2]
| Alabama 10th Judicial Circuit (Place 23), General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Agnes Chappell |
54.48% | 155,008 | |
| Republican | Dorothea Batiste Incumbent | 45.43% | 129,261 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.09% | 266 | ||
| Total Votes | 284,535 | |||
| Source: Alabama Votes, "2016 Unofficial General Election Results," accessed November 10, 2016 | ||||
2010
- See also: Alabama judicial elections, 2010
Batiste competed against Carnella Greene-Norman in the November 2 general election. Batiste won with 51.72 percent of the vote, compared to Carnella Greene-Norman's 48.28 percent.[3]
Noteworthy events
Batiste suspended with pay for alleged misconduct, counterclaims sexual harassment (2013)
In April 2013, Batiste was suspended with pay following a complaint by the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission. The commission alleged that Batiste unlawfully held parties in divorce cases in contempt of court. The judge denied the charges and accused former Presiding Judge Scott Vowell of creating false charges following a pattern of sexual harassment.[4]
Vowell said the canons of judicial ethics prevented him from commenting, but he was "confident that the outcome here will be the dismissal of these baseless charges."[5]
Vowell told the commission many lawyers were afraid their clients would "suffer retaliation if they file[d] charges against Judge Batiste." He added,
| “ | Judge Batiste has a pattern of poor case management, lack of control over her courtroom, using inappropriate language and conduct towards lawyers and the public, and generally engages in conduct which erodes the public's confidence in the judiciary.[6] | ” |
Batiste on trial in Court of the Judiciary
Batiste's trial in the Court of the Judiciary began on June 28, 2013. She faced more than 30 charges for alleged violations of the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics. In four of the five cases at issue in the complaint, contempt charges were filed against individuals appearing in Batiste's court for failing to appear in court pursuant to a subpoena or court order. The other contempt charge in the fifth case was for failure to appear in court and failing to pay court ordered child support payments.[7]
In its complaint, the commission alleged Batiste ". . .entered unauthorized, unwarranted, and unlawful orders for the arrest and jailing or incarceration of litigants or witnesses."[8] The complaint indicated that the judge overstepped her bounds by failing to follow proper procedures in contempt proceedings, and by jailing litigants without a prior hearing.
However, Batiste ". . .feels she is being targeted because of the fact she is a 'black female Republican'. . . I have known throughout all of this, people were going into conference rooms, meeting together after hearings, coming up with strategies. . .to remove me. . ."[9] Batiste claimed that Vowell only complained to the commission regarding the charges after she rejected his sexual advances. She also alleged that Vowell, a Democrat, referred to her as "the colored Republican".[7]
Vowell said that others informed him of the complaints, and that he tried to help Batiste address the criticisms. Since the original complaint was filed, Vowell retired from the bench. The commission said claims of sexual harassment would not be considered during the trial. According to the director of the judicial inquiry commission, the commission's goal was not to punish individual judges but to preserve the integrity of the state's judiciary.[9]
Batiste found guilty of judicial misconduct, suspended without pay for 90 days
The Alabama Court of the Judiciary issued a unanimous guilty decision on July 31, 2013. Batiste was suspended for 90 days without pay and ordered to attend formal training at the National Judicial College in September.[10]
Batiste had no comment regarding the decision. However, her attorneys said ". . .they were disappointed in the decision for what they said at most was simply a mistake." Julian McPhillips one of Batiste's attorneys said the decision was better than an offer of a suspension for ten months previously made by the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission.[10]
See also
- Alabama 10th Judicial Circuit
- Jefferson County, Alabama
- Alabama local trial court judicial elections, 2016
External links
- Dorothea Batiste Facebook page
- The Birmingham News, "Judge Katrina Ross, judicial candidate Dorothea Batiste sued over money," September 1, 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ Martindale.com, "Hon. Dorothea Batiste," accessed September 18, 2016
- ↑ Alabama Votes, "2016 Election Information," accessed May 5, 2016
- ↑ AL.com, "The Vote," June 1, 2010
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 AL.com, "Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Dorothea Batiste suspended with pay after complaint about arrest orders for contempt," April 22, 2013
- ↑ AL.com, "Suspended Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Dorothea Batiste claims former judge Scott Vowell sexually harrassed (sic) her," May 20, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 AL.com, "Hearing for suspended Jefferson County Circuit Court judge Dorothea Batiste begins today," July 29, 2013
- ↑ In the Alabama Court of the Judiciary, "In the matter of: Dorothea Batiste, Jefferson County Circuit Judge, Case No. 43," accessed July 30, 2013
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 www.wsfa.com, "Jefferson County judge faces rare Court of the Judiciary trial," July 25,2013
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 AL.com, "Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Dorothea Batiste suspended without pay for 90 days for violating canons of judicial ethics," July 31, 2013
Federal courts:
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Alabama, Middle District of Alabama, Southern District of Alabama • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Alabama, Middle District of Alabama, Southern District of Alabama
State courts:
Alabama Supreme Court • Alabama Court of Civil Appeals • Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals • Alabama Circuit Courts • Alabama District Courts • Alabama Juvenile Courts • Alabama Municipal Courts • Alabama Probate Courts • Alabama Small Claims Courts
State resources:
Courts in Alabama • Alabama judicial elections • Judicial selection in Alabama
