Private Order of Additional Education of a Justice of the Peace (08/21/00)
08/21/2000
When the defendant failed to appear, the judge entered a default judgment in favor of the plaintiff for $62.00 in court costs only. The judgment was not signed by the judge and did not have the court seal in place. The plaintiff later obtained from court personnel a copy of a document appearing to be a final judgment awarding the plaintiff $5,000, which was stamped with the judge's official seal and signed with a stamped signature. The judge did not review the document nor did he direct his court personnel to stamp the document with the judge's signature in the judge's presence. Instead, the judge allowed court personnel to have access to the stamp and official seal, and in the judge's absence, use the judge's signature stamp on documents and letters. This practice resulted in an incorrect judgment being provided to the plaintiff. [Violation of Canon 2A of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct.] Private Order of Additional Education of a Justice of the Peace (08/21/00)
