- California’s judicial watchdog opted for admonishment instead of removal, despite threats of violence from the bench
- Judge Enrique Monguia told lawyers he would “shoot counsel himself” and blamed a domestic violence victim for her abuse
- Critics say the Commission’s weak discipline emboldens misconduct and erodes public trust in the judiciary
LOS ANGELES, CA – It is one of the most disturbing judicial misconduct cases in recent memory, yet the California Commission on Judicial Performance (CJP) decided last week that Judge Enrique Monguia’s behavior merits nothing more than a public admonishment. That decision is not only disappointing—it is dangerous. It signals to the public, to lawyers, and to litigants that even repeated threats of violence, blatant bias, and callous treatment of vulnerable parties can be brushed aside with a scolding rather than real accountability.
Between 2019 and 2024, Judge Monguia, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, engaged in a pattern of inappropriate conduct from the bench that shocked attorneys and defendants alike. He threatened to shoot lawyers, told a domestic violence victim she was partly to blame for her assault, and forced a young mother to surrender her three-year-old child during a hearing where he inexplicably remanded her into custody. The commission documented each of these incidents in detail—yet somehow concluded that a slap on the wrist would suffice.
The CJP’s 17-page admonishment outlines one alarming incident after another. In September 2023, Monguia ordered Danielle Alexander, a mother in court without her appointed attorney, to be immediately arrested. A public defender unaffiliated with the case pleaded with the judge to allow probation, even volunteering to appear as “friend of the court.” Monguia ignored the plea, had Alexander remanded, and left her toddler in the custody of strangers until family could be located. Only later that day did he reverse course, appoint counsel, and release her—demonstrating that the harm was unnecessary and avoidable.
Source: https://usaherald.com/california-judge-who-threatened-to-shoot-lawyers-gets-slap-on-the-wrist/
