Judge Michael Rael of Questa, NM; scofflaw

The Judicial Standards Commission found Judge Rael guilty of the following misconduct.

• Illegally issued restraining order without jurisdiction to so act
• Ordered restraining order based on his illegal ex parte [one sided] communications
• Based court orders on personal knowledge obtained outside the scope of the criminal complaint or any court proceeding
• Admitted that he did not have the legal authority to issue restraining order
• Engaged in willful misconduct as defined by law

As a direct consequence of his misconduct, the cheerleaders for Judicial Misfits sitting on the New Mexico Supreme Court punished Judge Rael by gifting him with a complimentary censure.

As we speak (ca. December 2018), Mikey continues to sit as a Questa Municipal Court judge in Questa, New Mexico.