Mississippi judge faces 30 day suspension
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September 30, 2011
Jackson, Mississippi: The Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled to suspend Judge Carol Ann Estes Bustin of the Lamar County Justice Court for 30 days without pay. The 7-1 ruling was issued on September 29, 2011.
The charges of misconduct centered around one of Bustin's legal clients. The judge issued an arrest warrant against David C. Lema based solely on an affidavit from his ex-wife who Bustin had represented in a child-custody hearing. The affidavit claimed that Lema had kidnapped his own child. The Commission on Judicial Performance picked up on the situation and filed a complaint against the judge in April. They recommended a public reprimand and a $500 fine, to which Bustin agreed.
Chief Justice William Waller explained, "Here, Judge Bustin represented Lema's ex-wife at the same time that she executed the felony arrest warrant that was based upon this ex-wife's affidavit. The conflict of interest was clear and unmistakable."[1] Bustin announced in January that she would not seek another term as judge.[1]
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