Judge Judy Wannabe

A San Diego Superior Court Judge recently faced serious misconduct charges for turning her courtroom into an audition for a TV show. Judge DeAnn Salcido pulled a “Lance Ito” (OJ Judge), playing to the camera, to film a court session intended to show her wit and tough love in order to score her own television program.

The most damaging allegations against Judge Salcido include her scheduling of selected litigants involved in family law cases or criminal law hearings on the day she arranged for her bailiff’s spouse to videotape the court proceedings, to provide “good material” for submission to her entertainment lawyer, who in turn would try to get a TV deal for her.

Her courtroom line-up included “her more interesting cases and those with substance abuse issues”. She did all of this without permission from the Chief Judge and without alerting witnesses, litigants, lawyers or the accused.

Judge Salcido, appointed in 2002, admitted engaging in conduct that tended to bring the administration of justice into disrepute. A litany of examples was set out in the Notice of Formal Proceedings issued against her by California’s Commission on Judicial Performance. Some of the highlights included:

– After placing an accused on probation the Judge said “What that means is don’t come before the court on another case…’cause you will definitely be screwed and we don’t offer Vaseline for that.”

– She advised an accused that she could send him to jail for sixty days or have him enrol in a Domestic Abuse Offenders Program. After he chose the Program she told him “he was going double or nothing and asked whether he was a “gambling man”. When the man said he would “try to show that he could do what he was ordered to do” the Judge asked the courtroom “audience” to read out loud a slogan she posted in her courtroom which read “Do or do not, there is no try.”
She again warned the convicted man “I’ll put you in jail and we’re doing double or nothing now. Sixty days now or 120 minimum later.”

– To another accused who sought to speak with his counsel prior to sentencing Judge Salcido borrowed a line from a game show and addressing the courtroom gallery said “Does he need to call a lifeline? Let’s make a deal. I think he needs to call a lifeline”. She and the audience burst into laughter.

– Another accused appeared in court after testing positive in a court-ordered drug test. Addressing the audience she said “He’s not too clean” and the gallery responded loudly “Woo!”. She said “THC” and again the court gallery shouted “Woo”. She then said “Can I get a woo, woo, woo?” and the laughing audience complied.

– A man appeared in court who had mental health issues. After learning he heard voices she quipped “OK you’re going to tell me if they say “hurt the judge, hurt the judge?”

– On other occasions she criticized the decision of a fellow judge referring to him in her courtroom as “Ah, Judge Gallagher, aka assistant public defender”; disparaged duty counsel as “the slowest public defender we have in the courthouse”; and advised the courtroom gallery “I don’t know why people hire private attorneys; they don’t know what they are doing”.

To avoid a public hearing, Judge Salcido resigned from the bench and agreed she would never hold judicial office again. Originally she fought the charges and defended her unorthodox judicial style saying:

“I have found the use of humour and a tough love approach to be very successful in getting through to the criminal defendants… the judicial system should examine whether the traditional demeanor and approach of the judiciary is the best means for accomplishing justice.”

Don’t be surprised to see Her Honour in a reality TV show as a means of supplementing her $50,000.00 a year pension.

Lawdiva aka Georgialee Lang