Judge Erica Williams of Louisville, KY; ethical misfit

The state of Kentucky presented Erica Lee Williams with a law license in 2003 after she graduated from the University of Kentucky Law School.

The Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission charged Erica with the following misconduct.

In one matter, Erica violated the Code of Judicial Conduct when she appeared in an advertisement for a clothing store.

Even though a judicial rule prohibits endorsements, Erica appeared modeling a coat next to an ad that said: “The verdict is in! They FEEL great! ”The ad goes on to identify Erica, who is seeking re-election, as a district court judge.

In a lame attempt at levity, Erica responded to the ethics complaint by stating that she didn’t know her conduct violate any judicial conduct rules, and that she agreed to do the ad because she liked fashion. If this laughable response was true, then why did she agree to have her position as a judge included in the ad?

All that’s left now is to see what punishment will be meted out by the Kentucky Supreme Court to Erica.

In the event that Erica loses the election in November 2014, she can always apply as a clothing model for Mad Magazine.

As we speak (ca. October 2014), Erica remains sitting as a Jefferson County District Court Judge in Louisville, Kentucky.