Sr. Judge Joseph Ochoa of Salem, OR; bully, repeat offender

The State of Oregon  presented Joseph V. Ochoa with a law license in 1987 after he graduated from the Northwestern School of Law.

The Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability found Joey guilty of the following misconduct.

• Failed to observe high standards of conduct
• Failed to be faithful to the law
• Engaged in conduct adversely reflecting on fitness to serve as a judge
• Made public statements expected to affect outcome and fairness of proceeding
• Failed to decide matters based on facts and the law
• Failed to be patient, dignified and courteous to litigant and lawyer
• Acted in manner that would be perceived as bias v. litigant

As one would suspect, this wasn’t Joey’s First bite at the Judicial Misfit Apple Tree. He previously received a complimentary reprimand for engaging in a variety of misconduct, some of which mirrors his subsequent discipline.

As a consequence of his misconduct, the enablers for Judicial Misfits sitting on the Oregon Supreme Court punished Joey by gifting him with a complimentary 30-day suspension of his law license. 

As we speak (ca. February 2016), Joey continues to sit as a Senior retired visiting judge in Marion County, Oregon.