The L.A. Times reports that L.A. County Judge Edmund W. Clarke Jr. was admonished after abusive remarks to prospective jurors in a 2014 murder trial. His “misconduct demonstrates a pattern of discourteous and undignified treatment of jurors,” wrote The Commission of Judicial Performance, in a 34-page report that details several examples of belittling people in his courtroom who were too poor or Spanish for his tastes.
… [two] jurors wrote how much money they had in the bank and each amount was less than $50.
“It’s an impressive and convincing figure,” Clarke told one of the jurors, according to the commission.
“Thank you for not sharing it,” the juror replied.
“Well, every one of these lawyers spent more than that on lunch today,” he said.
“Great,” the juror sarcastically replied.
As soon as the juror exited the courtroom, the judge announced that she had listed her bank account balance as $25
It’s not the first rodeo in Clarke’s courtroom: he was disciplined in 2013 for misconduct toward a defendant, and the Commission adds that he “has shown a very limited appreciation of the impropriety of his conduct.”