What is Dishonorable Courts?
We are a non-profit organization dedicated to publishing reports of Governmental Misconduct.
What is Governmental Misconduct?
Governmental misconduct is when someone working for the government does something that is illegal, unethical or unprofessional. This varies by department.
Senatorial Misconduct
Conduct on the part of a Senator that is prohibited and which could lead to a form of discipline.
While misconduct on the part of a Senator is rare, if your family has reached out to their local Senator and received little to no assistance then they are actually in derelict of their duty to help their constituents. This in and of itself is not misconduct; however we believe it is something worth reporting.
Any report of a Senator failing to fully investigate their constituent’s needs’ will be investigated thoroughly prior to posting.
Congressional Misconduct
Conduct on the part of a House Representative that is prohibited and which could lead to a form of discipline.
While misconduct on the part of a House Representative is rare, if your family has reached out to their local Senator and received little to no assistance then they are actually in derelict of their duty to help their constituents. This in and of itself is not misconduct; however we believe it is something worth reporting.
Any report of a House Representative failing to fully investigate their constituent’s needs’ will be investigated thoroughly prior to posting.
Judicial Misconduct
Conduct on the part of a judge that is prohibited and which could lead to a form of discipline.
“(A) judge’s conduct must be free from impropriety and the appearance of impropriety and that both his official and personal behavior be in accordance with the highest standard society can expect. The standard of conduct is higher than expected of lay people and also higher than that expected of attorneys. The ultimate standard must be conduct which constantly reaffirms fitness for the high responsibilities of judicial office, and judges must so comport themselves as to dignify the administration of justice and deserve the confidence and respect of the public.” -The American encyclopedia of law, Corpus Juris Secundum ((Title 48A, “Judges”)
Examples of specific instances of judicial misconduct include:
The use of a harsh and angry tone and demeanor
Excessive arrogance
Lack of impartiality
Incompetence
Improper political or even charitable or fund-raising activities
Sexually harassing conduct
Off-the-record, private communication with a litigant about a pending case
Criminal conduct
Conflict of interest
An ethnic or racial slur
Physical or mental disability
Bankruptcy or insolvency
Misuse of prestige of office
Allowing cameras in the courtroom
Receiving a bribe or gift from a litigant
Making [a] public comment on a pending case which shows prejudgment
Failure to recuse oneself in an appropriate case
Administrative mismanagement such as a failure to render a judgment in a reasonable amount of time.
Prosecutorial Misconduct
Conduct on the part of a United States Attorney, Assistant United States Attorney or District Attorney that is prohibited and which could lead to a form of discipline.
Prosecutorial Misconduct is when the United States Attorney, Assistant United States Attorney or District Attorney does something that is against moral standards. Violating a set of guidelines sometimes permits one to raise such a challenge both in a legal case and in an official report to the American Bar Association (ABA).
Unfortunately, the ABA doesn’t allow us to post copies of their exact rules, and we can only reproduce copies that are found in court opinions because those are considered public record.
Eventually, we intend to offer print copies of the ABA rules once our legal team designs a format we can use to safely send them to inmates; however some of the more important rules are included below.
Rule 3.3(a)(“Candor Toward the Tribunal” “A lawyer shall not knowingly make a false statement of fact or law to a tribunal or fail to correct a false statement of material fact or law previously made to the tribunal.”)
Quoted in United States, ex rel. Holmes v. Northrop Grumman Corp., 642 F. App’x 373, 378 (5th Cir. 2016)
Rule 3.4(“A lawyer shall not unlawfully obstruct another party’s access to evidence or unlawfully alter, destroy or conceal a document or other material having potential evidentiary value.”)
Quoted in Carton v. Missouri Pac. R.R.., No. 94-1974 n.5 (8th Cir. Jan. 9, 1995)
Rule 3.8(a)(“The prosecutor in a criminal case shall refrain from prosecuting a charge that the prosecutor knows is not supported by probable cause.”)
Quoted in Anzoldo v. Reynolds, No. 8:14-cv-03175-RMG-JDA (D. Sc. July 10, 2015)
Rule 3.8(b)(“The prosecutor in a criminal case shall make reasonable efforts to assure that the accused has been advised of the right to, and the procedure for obtaining, counsel and has been given reasonable opportunity to obtain counsel.”)
Quoted in United States v.. Acosta, 111 F.Supp.2d 1082, 1092 (E.D. Wis. Aug. 26, 2000)
Rule 3.8(d)(“The prosecutor in a criminal case shall make timely disclosure to the defense of all evidence or information known to the prosecutor that tends to negate the guilt of the accused or mitigates the offense.”)
Quoted in United States v. Klein, No. 16-cr-442 (JMA)(E.D.N.Y. Feb/ 10, 2017)
Rule 3.8(g) and Rule 3.8(h)
“(g) When a prosecutor knows of new, credible and material evidence creating a reasonable likelihood that a convicted defendant did not commit an offense of which the defendant was convicted, the prosecutor shall:
(1) promptly disclose that evidence to an appropriate court or authority, and
(2) if the conviction was obtained in the prosecutor’s jurisdiction,
(i) promptly disclose that evidence to the defendant unless a court authorizes delay, and
(ii) undertake further investigation, or make reasonable efforts to cause an investigation, to determine whether the defendant was convicted of an offense that the defendant did not commit.
(h) When a prosecutor knows of clear and convincing evidence establishing that a defendant in the prosecutor’s jurisdiction was convicted of an offense that the defendant did not commit, the prosecutor shall seek to remedy the conviction.”
Quoted in Warney v. Monroe County, 587 F.3d 113, 125 n.15 (2d Cir. 2009)
This list is by no means exhaustive.
Agency Misconduct
Conduct on the part of a state or federal agent that is prohibited and which could lead to a form of discipline.
Primarily this is when an agent of the government does something that is clearly illegal. This can range from planting evidence at a crime scene, to testifying to something that can be proven as untrue.
Police Misconduct
Conduct on the part of a Police Officer that is prohibited and which could lead to a form of discipline.
Primarily this is when a Police Officer does something that is clearly illegal. This can range from planting evidence at a crime scene, to testifying to something that can be proven as untrue.
How does Dishonorable Courts get its reports of misconduct?
From you. We take reports of misconduct for any agency that is employed by the government. This includes, but is not limited to, Senators, Congresspersons, Judges, Prosecutors, Federal agents, State agents, Police, and Defense Attorneys. If their connected to the Government, we will take reports on them.
How is a report handled?
We take your reports and review them. If we judge them to be unfounded, inaccurate, or in any way not suitable for our site we will not post it. If it is a viable report, we will post it and send copies of it to our mailing lists.
How does one make a report?
Reports are normally made via our online form. Once a person submits a report via our online form, we will review it and contact them if we have any questions. In many instances we may suggest that they contact their Senator and/or Congressional Representative to seek help on this matter. Also we may request you seek information through the Freedom of Information Act agencies that we can also post.
For inmates we take submissions via inmate instant messaging system or regular mail. We require a self addressed stamped envelope be included in submissions from inmates sending us letters. We will send a confirmation of any report via regular mail to inmates who choose this form of correspondence.
Does Dishonorable Courts offer legal advice?
Absolutely not. While we may direct you in the right path for reporting your concern through official channels we do not offer legal advice in any way. If you think something we state is legal advice, please let us know so we can be more explicit in this.
How does one get in touch with Dishonorable Courts?
Easy. Contact us through our submissions form if you have a report of misconduct, or contact us via our contact form if you want to speak on something else. We’re a non-profit and we all have jobs other than Dishonorable Courts, so please be patient for a response. Be assured however that we will get back to you!
REFERENCES:
28 United States Code 16, Complaints Against Judges and Judicial Discipline, Canadian Judicial Council, Ethical Principles for Judges Goldschmidt, Jona and others, The Relationship Between Method of Judicial Selection and Judicial Misconduct, 18 Widener L.J. 455 (2008-2009)Hellman, Arthur, When Judges are Accused: An Initial Look at the New Federal Judicial Misconduct Rules, 22 Notre Dame J.L. Ethics & Pub. Pol’y 325 (2008)Judicial Conference of the United StatesNOTE 1: Charles Geyh, Hearing on H. Res. 916, Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property of the House Commimitee on the Judiciary, 109th Congress 148-49 (2006), http://www.duhaime.org