Seldom Seen Sheldon: California Juvenile Judge Accused of Playing Hooky From Court — Again

The Wise and The Commission on Judicial Performance in California is worried about the work ethic of Riverside Superior Court Judge Christopher Sheldon. Years ago, Sheldon was admonished for spending too much time jogging on the courthouse stairs and too little time judging in the courthouse. Now, he is again the subject of an investigation into his habit of blowing off the court around noon everyday.

Sheldon is accused of departing the Indio courthouse halfway through the day and pushing for settlements to clear his calendar, often asking clerks to just stamp his name on settlements. The commission charged: “Since approximately January 2006, you routinely have left the courthouse for the day after the calendar is concluded. You have not informed your superiors of your routine absences during court hours, and have not sought or received authorization for these half-day absences . . .Since 2005, Sheldon has sat in the juvenile dependency department. While the court’s calendar ends at noon, dependency judges are often needed throughout the day for unscheduled rulings on child custody matters.”

It will be a bit awkward handling those juvenile hooky cases when you are under investigation for the same basic offense. The only worse thing would be for Sheldon to be found at the local arcade at 2 pm.

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