Mississippi judge suspended

April 30, 2011

Mississippi: Judge Ralph Boone, of the Lincoln County Justice Court, has been suspended by the Mississippi Supreme Court for 90 days without pay, publicly reprimanded and fined $1,907 for judicial conduct violations. The first of these includes allegations that Judge Boone made sexual advances toward a female defendant in 2009. The Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance, who asked for the removal of Judge Boone from office in July 2009, accused the judge of making sexual advances toward a woman on the day of her trial, asking her to come into his truck and telling her he would "fix her fine" in exchange for sexual favors. The woman's fine was reduced by $100 later that day, but it is unknown whether or not she engaged in sexual activity with Boone.

The Supreme Court justices could not all agree on the validity of the sexual misconduct accusation, so they chose suspension rather than complete removal from office for Boone. The court did find evidence, however, that Boone discussed the woman's case with her privately outside of court, which is against the judicial code of conduct. They also found that the way he handled the fine reduction was questionable. After the ruling was issued on April 29th, 2011, Boone stated, "I'm glad it's over and the Mississippi Supreme Court had made their decision...I still maintain my innocence. I want the people to know I never let anyone down."