Judge Jinks the Jerk?
NBC News reported on a Alabama Probate judge named Randy Jinks. He seems like a bit of a jerk. Judge Jinks took office in January 2019. Immediately, complaints followed. More than 100 allegations were outlined in a scathing 78-page complaint issued by the Judicial Inquiry Commission. Employees accuse Jinks of “cultivating a toxic and hostile workplace that undermined the integrity of his office.”
The complaint is based on interviews with current and former employees of the Talladega County Probate Office. Jinks exhibited a pattern of behavior “that has created a difficult, unprofessional, and inappropriate atmosphere,” which has “injured respect for the judiciary.”
The report discloses racist, sexist, and pornographic conversations that employees claim Jinks initiated. Jinks is white and used rascist and profane language. He threw tantrums. He abused his position for favors. Jinks’ county-owned cellphone contained pornography and a website that sold sex products. His defense: Jinks lent the phone to a female felon he met. The nature of that relationship is unknown.
Probate judges are elected to six-year terms. However, they do not need law degrees. But the state Canons of Judicial Ethics applies. He is a former program director for the Alabama State Parks. The court suspended Jinks. The court must decide whether to remove him from office. It should not be a hard decision.
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