The Clown may be the court fool but he will no longer serves as a judge. The Mississippi Supreme Court permanently suspended Grenada attorney Carlos Moore from the bench.
Moore served as Municipal Court Judge Pro-Tem in Grenada and Clarksdale. Even municipal court judges have to follow some rules, unless your name is Carlos Moore who makes up the judicial canon as he sees fit. Moore earned several public reprimands, reprimands he repeatedly ignored. The Commission had enough of his antics and charged Moore with judicial misconduct on July 15, 2022. Moore being Moore, he blew off the complaint and all correspondence from the Commission. He has a higher calling, you see, and can't be bothered with such trivialities. The Commission voted unanimously to fine Moore $5,000, remove him from the bench, suspend him from serving as a judge for six years, and publicly reprimand the attorney. Heavy stuff. What exactly did Moore do to earn his whupping (Rhetorical device, Mr. Moore, you're familiar with those, remember?)? Keep reading.The Commission stated as findings of fact the attorney: * Regularly posted information on social media about cases heard in his court (Violation of Canon 3B(9)). Judges are not allowed to publicly comment on pending or impending cases in their court. Moore not only commented on such cases but gave his Twitter and Facebook accounts the name "Judge Carlos Moore" in violation of the Canon. Judges, even lower court judges, are not allowed to refer to themselves as "judge" in advertising or on social media. The social media accounts also had paid political endorsements and advertisements for his law firm. The Commission gave him a private reprimand as Moore agreed to clean up his social media accounts . * Moore got in trouble again in February 2022. The Commission on Judicial Performance fined Mr. Moore $1,500 and issued a public reprimand after he used his position as a judge to pressure officers for a private client. Earlier post * Remember those social media accounts? Well, the Clown just could not help himself and started posting political statements under his "Judge Carlos Moore" moniker about Kyle Rittenhouse when the young man was acquitted. The findings of fact states: The Clown posted on social media under the account name "Judge Carlos Moore" several diatribes regarding the Kyle Rittenhouse acquittal that ran afoul of the Canon:
If anyone still believes justice is blind in America after the Kyle Rittenhouse acquittals yesterday, you just refuse to accept an ugly truth. I can almost guarantee you that if Kyle had been black and killed two white men in the same manner Kyle did, he most certainly would have been convicted. There has never been a greater need for black lawyers and judges in America to keep decrying the blatant inequities that exist in our criminal justice system and to keep pushing for a color blind and more equitable judicial system. 20. Respondent did not just make a racially charged social media post, Respondent made racially charged comments nationally during his appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show on June 22, 2022. Ostensibly, Respondent was invited on the show to discuss his "Do Better ASAP" program. During the interview, Respondent said "There are many judges that don't look like me and the people that appear before them. They can not be empathetic because they don't look like the people that go before them but I preside over two jurisdictions where there are African-Americans, 85/90% of people look like me, and I want to give them a second chance if they qualify." 21. In April of 2023, on the "Judge Carlos Moore" page, Respondent posted information about a defendant who appeared before him that very day and outlined the conditions she must meet for him to dismiss her charge, conditions that were not yet met, on a case that was then pending.
The Commission said a judge should avoid any appearance of impropriety in all activities. They can't use their offices to advance the private interests of their clients. The judge can not use words that show any prejudice or bigotry. The judge can't comment on any cases before his court.
Since earlier sanctions did not seem to work, The Commission recommended fining Mr. Moore $5,000 and suspending him from the bench for six years.
Moore failed to show any respect for the Commission so why should he start showing some now? Moore appealed the suspension to the Mississippi Supreme Court. The Court held oral arguments in August.
The Mississippi Supreme Court made it clear what it thought of "Judge" Carlos Moore as it gave him a tougher sentence than that recommended by the Commission. The Court suspended Mr. Moore permanently from the bench and cut his fine to $3,000.
The attorney claimed his comments on the Kelly Clarkson Show were protected speech under the First Amendment. The Court said it was perfectly permissible to discuss racial disparities and diversity. However, The Court held Mr. Moore's
blatantly attacking an entire race’s ability to exhibit a core, not just judicial but human, ability is not. Likewise, intimating that you will right past racial injustices with future decisions based on race is contrary to the principles of racial equality in the judicial system
The Court said such comments were prejudicial to the administration of justice. "Judge" Moore made his comments as a judge by attacking his fellow judges because of their race while making it clear he would administer justice based on race.
Mr. Moore tried to argue his comments about the Rittenhouse verdict was protected by the First Amendment. No dice, said the Court as it held he accepted "restrictions" on his free speech when he became a judge. The comments might have been permissible if made by a lawyer but Mr. Moore could not comment as such while referring to himself as a judge.
Did Mr. Moore's conduct warrant suspension? Hell yes, opined the Court:
As we have already noted, Judge Moore has a prior disciplinary history, both as a judge and as an attorney. The Commission states that Judge Moore was subject to public reprimand in Tennessee in May 2019, in Mississippi in September 2019 and then again in Mississippi in April 2022.6 In addition, the Commission sent a letter in December 2019 on his use of social media and entered the MOU with Judge Moore in December 2020. In addition, Judge Moore has been previously publicly reprimanded, suspended from service and fined as a judge. Moore, 356 So. 3d at 122. The Commission has shown that Judge Moore’s misconduct is not an isolated incident. Judge Moore’s actions reveal a repeated misuse of his judicial role and warrants a harsh sanction.
The Supremes said there was "a great likelihood Judge Moore would continue to repeat his actions." The Court toughened the sanctions against "Judge" Moore by increasing the six-year suspension to permanent suspension. The $5,000 fine was cut to $3,000.
Justice Leslie King vigorously dissented, arguing the First Amendment protected Mr. Moore's comments. Justice King is the only black member of the Mississippi Supreme Court.
Kingfish note: It is no surprise Moore forced the Mississippi Supreme Court to ban him from the bench for life. Check out the pattern of his behavior over the years:
* The Mississippi Workers Comp Commission sanctioned him for $500 in 2017 for throwing a tantrum at a hearing. Earlier post.
* The Mississippi Court of Appeals ordered Carlos Moore to pay sanctions of $27,467 after he failed to appear in court for a trial because he had a "speaking engagement" in Texas. Earlier post.
* Mississippi Bar reprimanded him in 2020 for ignoring an assignment of a Client's funds and providing the funds to the client. Earlier post.
* Federal judge in North Mississippi sanctioned Moore for $3,000 in 2017 for fabricating statements, memos, and not responding to discovery.
* U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves sanctioned Moore $500 in the Belhaven case after he found Moore's client destroyed evidence in 2017. Earlier post.
* The Tennessee Bar censured the Grenada attorney in 2019 after he placed a lien on a client because she rejected a settlement offer he recommended. Earlier post.
* The estate of Kendrick Murry sued him (pro se) in September 2020 in Forrest County Circuit Court for alleged legal malpractice of a case. Earlier post. However, the lawsuit has not been prosecuted since the initial filing of the complaint. Mr. Moore has not been served with the lawsuit.
Then there is the recent case in Oxford. The Clown got caught fabricating statements in a wrongful death lawsuit.
* The Mississippi Supreme Court suspended Grenada Municipal Court Judge Pro-Tem Carlos Moore for 60 days without pay after he he used his position as a judge to pressure two police officers for a private client. Earlier post.
* Then there his last shenanigan where he sued the wrong police officer.
* A complaint tribunal suspended Mr. Moore from the practice of law for one year on December 31, 2024.
21 comments:
Maybe he can star in a "Judge Carlos the Clown" TV show.
The Clown's main attorney during the Supreme Court's oral argument -- Justice King -- wrote a dissenting opinion half again as long as the court's opinion: 34 pages compared to the 24 used by the court in finding against the Clown.
I guess that King didn't get enough said during the oral argument - when The Clown's attorney was stuttering and stammering while trying to answer various Justices' questions and King had to step in and answer for him. The only thing missing was King stepping down from the bench and moving to the defense counsel's table to make the arguments on behalf of The Clown.
Good, and easy, decision from the Supremes. It looks like poor ol Leslie is going to miss his buddy Kitchens on the court cause now he doesn't have anybody to dissent with him on cases where settled law and precedent prevail - i.e. redundant PCRs.
Do not feel sorry for the POS at all. Long time coming.
Multi-year JFP 'Best of Jackson' winner and frequently featured black hero mouthpiece in their racial animus content.
Somehow I don't think this story will get covered in Donna Ladd's current journalism desert a.k.a. the Mississippi Free Press.
I reserve judgement until Mississippi Today tells me what to think. They are non-profit and are only concerned about doing what is right. My gut tells me that this is unjust and the result of systemic racism, but I need MT to confirm.
Not at ALL surprised Justice King is assmad.
There's always barber college.
Its about time some body spanked his ass.
Even more surprising it happened as quick as it did.
I won't extend the respect to Leslie King by using the term Justice. Only an imbecile would put his racial bias on display over Carlos the king. Both are idiots.
Carlos can always hole up in California or New York among other places as a civil rights martyr in residence until he raises enough money to make a comeback. In those places anyone crying Mississippi racism has instant credibility and Carlos knows how to holler racism loud and clear. Too bad he doesn't know as much about practicing law. Or maybe he just did not care.
Truck driving school.
True, incompetent doesn’t begin to describe what we have seen from Carlos. However, I do agree that, if he hadn’t used the moniker “judge”, all of his speech would be protected by the first amendment. I think the Court had plenty of ammo without resorting to basing much of its comments on his speech. It gives Moore ammo to appeal to a higher court (not that it will have any effect.). When can we all get past the race issue and deal with real problems?
Surprised by Leslie King's support of Moore. Well, not really. As a young, Delta attorney, King was beginning to display his racial prejudice when he was Hearing Officer for Greenville Public Schools 45 years ago and his brother-in-law was one of the principals to whom he cozied up.
6:16 PM, it sounds like Justice King drank some of that Yellow Dog Democrat Kool-Aid the white liberal Democrats (those Malcom X warned us about) love to “teach;” i.e. stick together no matter what.
7:18 PM, Mississippi Today may technically be a so-called non-profit but from what’s been reported, it is controlled by billionaires. Billionaires that could choose to make Jackson, as just one example, a much safer place if those Billionaires chose to get on board with eliminating the crime and chaos every single child in this country deserves to live without.
But even the murder and stray bullet killings of children won’t move the needle with people more concerned with $$$ and power, than making the world a better place (since getting rid of the crime and chaos would mean non-Democrat voters would move back into Jackson).
“In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” Mathew 7:12
"Moore made his comments as a judge by attacking his fellow judges because of their race while making it clear he would administer justice based on race."
Carlos is what he claims to despise so much.....a racist.
The sad part of this is that some of Carlos "civil rights" cases did involve instances of racial injustice which deserved legal redress. Those cases deserved far better legal representation than a hustler like Carlos provides. If someone more competent does not step in to provide that legal help justice is not served and injustice wins.
In Mississippi Supreme Court justices are politicians who must be elected. Justice King is no different than the other justices. He knows his political support and plays to it. Predictable.
this guy has been suspended by the bar association that regulates legal conduct,
he has been permanently kicked off the bench by the committee on judicial performance,
and he has been sanctioned and fined by many sitting judges,
that's the trifecta!.............congrats carlos, i dot think thats ever happened in the history of mississippi jurisprudence.
He's still calling himself Judge. https://linktr.ee/JudgeCarlosMoore?fbclid=IwY2xjawH3dq5leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHZIMp55JwTYSJnCPLwM2vdsOo5sBjfIq6YpwRck420V2x1_Aa4brS0Pq2g_aem_sLTNBsPdG_V2o5mhgFjmwQ
Well done, Supreme Court.
The weight of his race weighs heavily on the shoulders of King, who took an oath to be neutral and follow the law. So heavily he should be removed from office.
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