The Board of Judicial Conduct yesterday issued a 30-day suspension for Lewis County General Sessions and Juvenile Judge Michael Hinson. An investigative panel of the board authorized a full investigation into Hinson’s conduct after it was reported that he had made comments during legal proceedings that were perceived as disparaging and derogatory. As a result of the investigation, the panel suspended Hinson for 30 days and ordered that he complete, at his own expense, a judicial ethics program from the National Center of State Courts that addresses demeanor from the bench. He is to provide disciplinary counsel with a certificate of completion. Hinson’s suspension will run from Oct. 2 until Oct. 31, during which time he is prohibited from exercising any judicial power or authority. Read the full order from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The Board of Judicial Conduct yesterday entered into a deferred discipline agreement with Stewart County Judicial Commissioner Joyce Tomlinson. The agreement says Tomlinson is alleged to have “injected herself into an active criminal case involving a family member and acted in a discourteous and intemperate manner inappropriate for a judicial officer.” Tomlinson is said to have “questioned and challenged” officers at the Stewart County Sheriff’s Department about a family member’s case. She was “sarcastic, argumentative, raised her voice, and banged her hands on the table,” and taunted the officer who had investigated her family member’s case, making it clear she did not believe his account of the case. Under the discipline agreement, Tomlinson will resign from her position no later than Feb. 14 and will not seek an appointed or elected judicial office in the future.

Lewis County General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge Michael Hinson received a public reprimand from the Board of Judicial Conduct yesterday. In a letter sent to Hinson, the board said he was being reprimanded for conducting judicial business “outside the parameters of the COVID-19 Judicial District Plan for the 21st Judicial District as approved by the Tennessee Supreme Court.” The board goes on to list the violations, including failing to limit the number of individuals in the courtroom and enforce social distancing requirements. The board also notes that Hinson made a disrespectful comment about Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeff Bivins. Judge Hinson acknowledged the problems, cooperated with the disciplinary counsel and accepted the reprimand.

Thirteenth Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Jonathan Lee Young has been issued a public reprimand from the Board of Judicial Conduct. According to the reprimand, Young acknowledged to an investigative panel that he had sent inappropriate messages to various women on social media from 2015 to 2020. The messages were sent to a legal professional employed by a firm that conducted business in Young’s court and a litigant who previously had a child custody matter before Young and ranged from “flirtatious to overtly sexual.” Most of the messages depicted Young in his judicial robe. In addition to the reprimand, Young is suspended for 30 days, which will be held in abeyance if there are no meritorious complaints regarding ethical misconduct for the remainder of his current term. He must also refrain from using a picture of himself in judicial robes as his profile picture on any social media account, complete a judicial ethics program at his own expense and refrain from engaging in similar misconduct.

The Board of Judicial Conduct issued a public reprimand to Coffee County General Sessions Judge Jere Ledsinger on Sept. 28 after it found that he “made an inappropriate comment to a courtroom audience.” The board said that on or about July 16, Ledsinger addressed a group of criminal defendants, including some who were African-American, about the requirement to wear face masks in court, saying the “Grand Wizard of our Supreme Court said we have to wear these masks” or words to that effect. Ledsinger acknowledge he was wrong to make the statement and said he meant no disrespect to anyone. The board said the statement violated judicial conduct rules requiring judges to maintain the highest standards of conduct and dignity; avoid words or conduct that manifest bias or prejudice; be dignified and courteous to those they deal with; act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary; and avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety.

The Board of Judicial Conduct issued a public reprimand on Oct. 26 for Shelby County General Sessions Judge Bill Anderson Jr. after he intervened in the bond-setting process for an acquaintance. When Anderson discovered that an acquaintance had been arrested and placed in the Bartlett jail, he made several calls to the jail and then went there in person to inquire about the bond. While there, he discovered that bond had not yet been set. Citing his position, Anderson directed the jail employee to release the individual on his own recognizance. The employee declined to do so. Anderson later spoke with the Barlett judge, who had since set bond at $10,000. Anderson questioned the judge’s actions, claiming he had already released the individual. The board found that Anderson violated Canon 1, 2 and 3 of the Code of Judicial Conduct.

Nashville General Sessions Judge Rachel Bell has responded to a complaint filed with the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct, arguing that allegations she was late to court, took too long a break or favored one side over another during a case in April are unfounded. The response, which also called on the board to dismiss the complaint, came in a five-page letter from Bell’s lawyer, Charles Grant of Baker Donelson. The Tennessean says it obtained a copy of the letter Tuesday.

W. Alan Rose, a 2014 Smyrna Town Court judge candidate, was suspended by the Tennessee Supreme Court on Wednesday. The Daily News Journal reports that Rose was charged after admitting to asking a client, who was an inmate, to acquire prescription pills in exchange for legal services. Rose pled guilty in September to one count of being an addict in possession of a firearm, a felony that caries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

The Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct has cleared Nashville General Sessions Judge Casey Moreland of allegations brought by fellow Judge Melissa Blackburn earlier this year. In an email to other judges in November, Blackburn describes Moreland as bullying women and throwing mattresses and papers in the mental health court offices. In a letter obtained by The Tennessean, the board wrote that it was the unanimous decision of the investigative panel that the “factual allegations in the complaint, which would have given rise to a potential violation of the Code of Judicial Conduct, did not occur.”