Texas federal judge reprimanded for harsh orders
September 15, 2011
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AUSTIN, Texas: US District Judge Sam Sparks, who has a reputation for his colorful and caustic remarks towards those who appear in his court, was reprimanded by Fifth Circuit Chief Justice Edith Jones for his recent antics. Sparks gained national attention when he put the breaks on Texas's controversial sonogram bill in late August. During the proceedings he rejected an anti-abortion group's attempt to join the case, calling its lawyer "anything but competent."[1]
Just days after his comments on the sonogram bill, the writings of Judge Sparks again went national when he invited lawyers involved in a deposition dispute in his court to a "kindergarten party" for attorneys who “are unable to practice law at the level of a first year law student.” The formal invitation read “[t]he party will feature many exciting and informative lessons, including… how to enter into reasonable agreements about deposition dates [and] how to limit depositions to reasonable subject matter.”[2] Also on the lesson plan for the party were skills such as "how to telephone and communicate with a lawyer" and "an advanced seminar on not wasting the time of a busy federal judge and his staff."[1]
The kindergarten party invitation immediately went viral in law circles, garnering laughs in many of the nation's top legal blogs. But Fifth Circuit Chief Justice Edith Jones didn't find the order humorous. Jones sent Judge Sparks an email scorning "Frankly, this kind of rhetoric is not funny. In fact, it is so caustic, demeaning, and gratuitous that it casts more disrespect on the judiciary than on the now-besmirched reputation of the counsel."[1] Chief Jones ended her email by warning "I urge you to think before you write."[1]
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