Virginia Judge Booted From Bench For "Coin Flipping" Approach to Decision Making (& Other Antics)

In Richmond, Virginia, The Associated Press recently reported:

• A judge who ordered a woman to drop her pants and decided a custody dispute by flipping a coin was removed from the bench by the Virginia Supreme Court on [Nov. 2]. The decision against Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge James Michael Shull of Gate City was unanimous. "Unless our citizens can trust that judges will fairly resolve the disputes brought before our courts, and treat all litigants with dignity, our courts will lose the public's respect and confidence upon which our legal system depends," Justice Barbara Milano Keenan wrote.

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• The justices could have merely censured Shull, but they noted that he had appeared before the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission in 2004 for allegedly calling a teenager a "mama's boy" and a "wuss" and advising a woman to marry her abusive boyfriend. That complaint was dismissed with an admonition to Shull to chalk it up as a learning experience.

For more, see Judge booted for flipping coin to decide (if link expires, try here).

Go here to view the Virginia Supreme Court ruling booting Judge Schull from the bench.

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For an opposing point of view, see In Defense of Judge James Michael Shull - Part I, Part II, and Part III. naughty judges