Monday, August 2, 2010

AZ Probate Judge Pro Tem Lindsay Ellis Has Judicial Immunity

Nobody can question retired Commissioner Lindsay Ellis about her decision to give select attorneys a sneak peek at her plan to approve the draining of an elderly widow's life savings.

Superior Court Judge Robert Budoff has ruled that Ellis can't be hauled into court and asked why she decided to send an advance copy of her decision only to the people who stood to benefit from her ruling. Can't be asked just how cozy her relationship was with one side, the side that wound up with most of Marie Long's money. Can't be asked, well, anything.

She has “absolute immunity”

“Not only Judge Pro Tem Ellis, but also her judicial assistant, court clerk and other staff are protected from compelled testimony relative to any communications that may have occurred with any counsel in these proceedings, ex-parte or otherwise,” he wrote, in a ruling made public this week.

But Budoff noted that evidence can be obtained elsewhere and he rejected Ellis' request that he call off his inquiry into her actions.

Ellis' neutrality has long been questioned in the case of the 88-year-old widow who went from having $1.3 million to nothing after suffering a stroke and coming under the protection of probate court. Probate's presiding judge at the time, Karen O'Connor, twice rejected requests last fall to remove Ellis from Marie's case, claiming there was no evidence of bias.

Then came the remarkable revelation that Ellis, through a judicial assistant, in March sent select attorneys an advance copy of her ruling that they and their clients were justified in collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees from Marie's trust. Ellis' ruling also lambasted attorneys for Marie and her sisters, blaming their “hateful and unsubstantiated attacks” for the run-up in fees.

Full Article and Source:
Probate Judge Can't Be Questioned

8 comments:

Joe said...

Nobody can even question her?

Now what's wrong with that? EVERYTHING!

Barbara said...

If she did nothing wrong, then she should welcome an investigation instead of hiding behind judicial immunity.

Anonymous said...

So, judges are above the law then?

Finny said...

Judicial immunity is a farce.

If you hire a plumber to fix a gas leak and the house blows up, is the plumber immune because he made an error of terriffic consequence?

No.

Judges are no better.

Cam said...

Judicial immunity doesn't apply if a judge breaks the law and engages in criminal acts.

But, that's hard to prove because when bad judges do criminal things, they do them in concert with bad lawyers. And then when the heat comes, the judge sells out the lawyers.

Anonymous said...

Judges are not immune from prosecution if they are guilty of criminal acts.

Anonymous said...

No Judge should be able to hide behind Judicial immunity. This is one more road block to stop justice. The scales of justice are hiding somewhere in a closet .....

timlahrman said...

Judicial immunity is unconstitutional.

From the AZ state constitution, Article II

2. Political power; purpose of government
Section 2. All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their
just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain
individual rights.

4. Due process of law
Section 4. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process
of law.

5. Right of petition and of assembly
Section 5. The right of petition, and of the people peaceably to assemble for the
common good, shall never be abridged.

9. Irrevocable grants of privileges, franchises or immunities
Section 9. No law granting irrevocably any privilege, franchise, or immunity shall be
enacted.

11. Administration of justice
Section 11. Justice in all cases shall be administered openly, and without unnecessary delay.

13. Equal privileges and immunities
Section 13. No law shall be enacted granting to any citizen, class of citizens, or
corporation other than municipal, privileges or immunities which, upon the same terms,shall not equally belong to all citizens or corporations

31. Damages for death or personal injuries
Section 31. No law shall be enacted in this state limiting the amount of damages to be
recovered for causing the death or injury of any person.

32. Constitutional provisions mandatory
Section 32. The provisions of this Constitution are mandatory, unless by express words
they are declared to be otherwise