Breaking Legal News & Current Law Headlines | Daily Legal Briefing
  • Home
  • Hot Topics
  • Breaking
  • Business
  • Big Law
  • Small Law
  • Law School
  • Legal Tech
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Breaking Legal News & Current Law Headlines | Daily Legal Briefing
No Result
View All Result
Home Hot Topics

There’s no need to ‘act on every scrap of tittle-tattle,’ justice says in nude-pics ethics case

Daily Legal Briefing by Daily Legal Briefing
January 31, 2022
in Hot Topics
0
There’s no need to ‘act on every scrap of tittle-tattle,’ justice says in nude-pics ethics case
4
SHARES
32
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


  1. Home
  2. Daily News
  3. There’s no need to ‘act on every scrap of…

Ethics

There’s no need to ‘act on every scrap of tittle-tattle,’ justice says in nude-pics ethics case

By Debra Cassens Weiss

January 31, 2022, 8:48 am CST

Kansas gavel

Image from Shutterstock.

The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday took no further action against a retired judge accused of posting nude photos of himself on a swingers website while he was still on the bench.

A concurrence went further, decrying a surveillance state of “big and little brothers” and comparing the retired judge’s situation to that of Hester Prynne, a character in The Scarlet Letter condemned to wear the letter “A” for committing adultery.

The Kansas City Star has coverage of the Jan. 28 decision.

Wisdom counsels “that Big Brother himself is not obliged to act on every scrap of tittle-tattle that comes his way from ill-meaning little brothers,” said the concurrence by Justice Caleb Stegall, joined by Justice Keynen “KJ” Wall Jr.

Stegall refers to the government as Big Brother, and corporations and individuals with access to social media as little brothers.

Kansas Judge Marty Clark
Retired Russell County Magistrate Judge Marty Clark. Photo from the Kansas Judicial Branch.

The retired judge is Judge Marty Clark, a nonlawyer who was a magistrate judge in Russell County, Kansas. He had posted sexually revealing photos of himself on a social media website known as Club Foreplay, or C4P, according to findings of fact by the Kansas Commission on Judicial Conduct.

Clark did not use his real name on the website, and his sexually revealing photos weren’t publicly available. Clark sent the photos to a woman on the website whom he previously met on vacation with his wife.

The woman’s husband filed an ethics complaint against Clark.

The Kansas Commission on Judicial Conduct found that Clark violated judicial canons requiring a judge to act with integrity and recommended a public censure.

The Kansas Supreme Court said it had jurisdiction because the conduct happened while Clark was a judge. But the court noted that Clark had not filed any exceptions to the commission recommendation.

“Because everyone involved in this case has come to the same conclusion, we see no need to further question their resolution,” the state supreme court said.

Stegall characterized the court’s decision as “go, and sin no more,” which he deemed “an apt and fitting conclusion.”

Stegall argued that Clark’s conduct was “embarrassing, foolish and grossly immoral.” But the conduct didn’t violate any judicial conduct rules, Stegall said, because it consisted of “lawful, private, consensual sexual practices” that had no connection to Clark’s role as a judge.

Stegall argued that judges “are not a priestly class of elite rulers” who are worthy to be obeyed because of moral and intellectual superiority. “We are all sinners,” Stegall wrote.

“The purpose of the Code of Judicial Conduct is not to protect or project an illusion of judges as angelic demigods or Mosaic lawgivers. It is quite the opposite—to guard against the very real danger of judges as ordinary human beings tempted to abuse their power in vain and self-interested ways,” Stegall wrote.





Click to Read Original Article

Previous Post

Hitting the Market Today, New Intranet Product for Larger Law Firms Is Already An Award Winner

Next Post

Biglaw Firm Offers Paid Compassionate Leave Program For Miscarriage And Failed Fertilty Treatments

Daily Legal Briefing

Daily Legal Briefing

Related Posts

Judge imposes default judgment against former Littler Mendelson client for ‘subversive approach to discovery’
Hot Topics

5th Circuit tells lawyer it is ‘often advisable to read the court’s orders,’ upholds $1,250 sanction

by Daily Legal Briefing
April 12, 2022
Law firm’s managing partner had a ‘fixation’ with employee surveillance, wiretap suit says
Hot Topics

Law firm’s managing partner had a ‘fixation’ with employee surveillance, wiretap suit says

by Daily Legal Briefing
April 12, 2022
Law school applicants are down, for now, for the first time since 2018
Hot Topics

Following a boost in 2021, national average score for February 2022 MBE drops

by Daily Legal Briefing
April 12, 2022
Google violated its ‘don’t be evil’ code when it fired 3 outspoken employees abiding by mandate, suit says
Hot Topics

Google’s ‘privileged’ email labeling, said to prevent lawsuit disclosure, was ‘eyebrow raising,’ judge says

by Daily Legal Briefing
April 11, 2022
New law allows this state’s judges to personally solicit campaign donations; ethics opinion adds wrinkle
Hot Topics

New law allows this state’s judges to personally solicit campaign donations; ethics opinion adds wrinkle

by Daily Legal Briefing
April 11, 2022
Next Post
Biglaw Firm Offers Paid Compassionate Leave Program For Miscarriage And Failed Fertilty Treatments

Biglaw Firm Offers Paid Compassionate Leave Program For Miscarriage And Failed Fertilty Treatments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Premium Content

Top 50 Biglaw Firm Floods The Market With Even More Cash Bonus Money

It’s A Pretty Impressive Pay Day For These Biglaw Partners

June 16, 2022
10 Signs Your Startup Should Hire a Lawyer

10 Signs Your Startup Should Hire a Lawyer

May 18, 2022
After Record Profits, Biglaw Partners Wonder If They Need To Keep Working

Recession Worries For Associates Working Remotely: Are Layoffs Ahead?

May 20, 2022

Browse by Category

  • Big Law
  • Breaking
  • Business
  • Hot Topics
  • Law School
  • Legal Tech
  • Small Law

About US

Breaking Legal News & Current Law Headlines | Daily Legal Briefing.
Online coverage of breaking legal news and current law headlines from around the US. Top stories, videos, insight, and in-depth analysis.

Categories

  • Big Law
  • Breaking
  • Business
  • Hot Topics
  • Law School
  • Legal Tech
  • Small Law

Recent Updates

  • Baker McKenzie Investigating Racism Claims; Partner Steps Away From Leadership Role
  • This Biglaw Firm Has The Urge To Merge, But Can’t Find A Willing Partner
  • Why The Legal Work Experience Is Broken And How You Can Do Better

© 2021 Daily Legal Briefing | Breaking Legal News & Current Law Headlines

No Result
View All Result
  • Contact Us
  • Home

© 2021 Daily Legal Briefing | Breaking Legal News & Current Law Headlines

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?