Judge Houston Patton of Jackson, MS; ethical leprechaun

The state of Mississippi provided Houston J. Patton with a law license in 1972 after he graduated from Southern University Law School.

Former Gov. Ray Mabus was duped into appointing Houston as a Hinds County Court judge in 1989. Houston didn’t receive the appointment because he was the most qualified attorney in the Jackson area. He received it because he had proven to be a reliable lackey for the local political hacks.

Houstonhas had his significant snout firmly implanted in the public trough for the past thirty-one years (1973 to 2015). Apparently, no self-respecting law firm in the greater Jackson, Mississippi area was about to offer Houston a good paying job.

The Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance found Judge Patton guilty of the following misconduct.

• Engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice
• Engaged in improper ex parte (one sided) communications
• Misused his contempt power
• Failed to properly notice hearings
• Granted relief when relief was not requested by either party
• Issued search warrant without legal authority to so act
• Engaged in willful misconduct

As a consequence of his misconduct, the enablers for Judicial Misfits sitting on the Mississippi Supreme Court punished Houston by gifting him with a complimentary reprimand.

As we speak (ca. October 2015), Houston continues to sit as a Hinds County Court judge in Jackson, Mississippi.