Judge Warren Walton of Raton, NM; ethical goblin

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

• Engaged in illegal ex parte (one-sided) conversation with represented party in a case then pending before Judge Walton
• During ex parte communication advised the defendant that his attorney had not done her job well in representing him, had not gotten him a good deal [basically accusing the attorney of being incompetent]
• Instructed the defendant to not tell anyone about his ex parte communications with anyone else
• Failed to recuse himself from cases wherein he engaged in illegal ex parte communications with defendants in cases that were pending before him
• Failed to advise defense counsel and/or prosecutors of his ex parte contacts with various defendants
• Circulated among jury members in a case that he was forced to recuse
• After speaking ex parte to defendant’s father, improperly cancelled a bench warrant for the son
• Schedule sham show cause hearing on defendant’s alleged failure to appear for a hearing when the actual purpose was to discuss scheduling matters with the prosecutor and defense attorney
• Granted blanket continuances on numerous hearings based solely an ex parte e-mail from a New Mexico State Police Officer when the cases were not identified by case number or by name
• Granted prosecution’s motion for continuance of a trial without conferring with defense counsel on the matter

As a direct consequence of his misconduct, the enablers for Attorney Misfits sitting on the New Mexico Supreme Court punished Stevie

by gifting him with a complimentary 3-week suspension from the bench.

As we speak (ca. May 2019), Stevie continues to sit as a judge of the Colfax County Magistrate Court in Raton, New Mexico.