Alabama Judiciary Failing Citizens; Former Judge Patricia Warner Guilty!

According to a Relative, Former Alabama Judge Patricia Warner going back to North Dakota to "clean house and wash dishes.”

27 Jan 12 - Patricia Warner entered into a settlement agreement Friday with the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission.

The state's Court of the Judiciary accepted the terms of the settlement during what it called a public hearing, but what really amounted to a public press conference.

The hearing/press conference began at 11 a.m. Then attorneys for the JIC and attorneys for Patricia Warner, including Warner herself went into a backroom for about twenty minutes.

When the Commission 10 minute hearing began, they agreed to throw out all but one charge against former Alabama Judge Patricia Warner.

The active count involves Warner not recusing herself from a case where her impartiality might reasonably be question.

Judge Patricia Warner agreed to a guilty plea by Clear and Convincing Evidence regarding Count 3 of the JIC Complaint. All other Complaints were dismissed.

Warner agreed never again to serve in a judicial capacity in Alabama.

The Commission then recessed for another 20 minutes, and essentially announced the same terms of the settlement again before adjourning.

The Montgomery area news media is reporting the Commission said Warner will also forfeit her full judicial retirement of $62,567 a year; however this information was not publicly disclosed during the hearing.

Warner will still receive other retirement benefits from the state that amounts to about $4,600 per month.

Former Alabama Judge Patricia Warner Refuses to Accept Responsibility

Patricia Warner refuses to accept responsibility for her actions saying,

"All gone, all done. The charges were false and made up. They always were,"

The people who filed complaints with the Judicial Inquiry Commission against Warner felt the sanctions are not enough.

"I'm upset about it, I feel like she should have gotten more than that," said Susan Raybon, who filed a complaint against Warner.   She doesn't even live in Alabama so it's nothing to her."

In a written statement, Warner and her attorneys criticized the Judicial Inquiry Commission.

"There was no basis for the actions taken by the Judicial Inquiry Commission," said Chuck Dauphin, an attorney for Warner.  "In every case, the Commission had in its possession overwhelmingly evidence that Judge Warner had not violated the Judicial Canons of Ethics.  This was simply a vicious witch-hunt."

The Judicial Inquiry Commission responded to Warner's allegations.

"If she truly thought that, then the forum to air those kind of assertions would have been a full trial on the evidence that the commission had," said Jenny Garrett, Executive Director of the Judicial Inquiry Commission.

Both Warner and the Judicial Inquiry Commission have both agreed not to appeal the ruling, so the Court of the Judiciary's ruling in the case stands.

At the end of the day, the citizens of Alabama have experienced the typical judicial process of backroom dealings that goes on in most Alabama Courtrooms.

Public hearings, not Press Conferences, are essential for the public to have faith in the Alabama judiciary.