Update- Criminal County Court at Law No. 16 Judge Darrell Jordan Suspended Without Pay

 


Harris County misdemeanor court Judge Darrell Jordan on Thursday was suspended from his bench by the state's commission on judicial conduct.

The suspension came just days after Jordan was indicted on a misdemeanor charge of official oppression and then arrested.

In a three-paragraph letter addressed to Jordan, the commission said that Jordan would be suspended without pay from his office as Harris County Criminal Court at Law Judge No. 16. The suspension will remain in place until Jordan is either acquitted or the charges are dismissed, according to the letter.

The letter was signed at 4 p.m. Thursday by David Schenk, the chairman of the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

Jordan's attorney, Marc Carter, on Thursday evening confirmed the suspension.

Jordan is accused wrongfully holding Wayne Dolcefino, a private media consultant and former TV journalist, in contempt or subjecting him to summary punishment and jail without a hearing. The charges are related to a June 2020 incident when Dolcefino entered Jordan's court and spoke with Jordan, who was holding hearings over a Zoom conference.

The two exchanged words, and Jordan eventually ordered Dolcefino to sit down and stop talking, according to a video of the encounter posted by Dolcefino on his company's Facebook page. When Dolcefino kept talking, Jordan ordered him arrested for contempt.

The indictment calls the contempt charge illegal. 

Jordan, through his attorney, has claimed innocence and said that judges have the power to hold people in contempt in order to maintain decorum and control court proceedings.

Carter said the judicial commission was compelled to act because of the indictment. State law require judges to be suspended if their indicted on official misconduct charges, he said. The commission itself had received a complaint about Jordan's contempt charges against Dolcefino and dismissed them, Carter said.

The case against Jordan was filed with Harris County DA’s Office, who recused themselves and asked Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton to investigate the allegation.

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