No Shirt, No Shame: Detroit Judge Under Investigation After Sending Near Naked Picture To Female Bailiff

Detroit’s Third Circuit Judge Wade McCree is at the center of a Weiner-like controversy after sending a nearly naked picture of himself to his bailiff. It certainly produced a passionate response . . . from her husband who has filed a judicial complaint. McCree however appears unapologetic and notes that he did not send the photo to any other married woman — a curious claim of mitigation. When confronted over the photo, McGree responded “I’ve got no shame in my game.”

McCree did not deny the photo, stating when asked “Hot dog, yep that’s me. I’ve got no shame in my game. I ain’t talking to nobody else’s wife. You can almost get that here and now.” He added “I’ve sent that out to other women. There’s nothing nude about it. I’m in no more clothes than I’ll be at the Y this afternoon when I swim my mile.”
Okay, I am now more concerned with his sanity and the propriety.

The fact that this was a court employee creates an obvious sanctionable violation of judicial ethics (as well as an unsolicited revealing photo to a woman). Let start with Canon 1:

A Judge Should Uphold the Integrity and Independence of the Judiciary
An independent and honorable judiciary is indispensable to justice in our society. A judge should participate in establishing, maintaining, and enforcing, and should personally observe, high standards of conduct so that the integrity and independence of the judiciary may be preserved. . . . The provisions of this code should be construed and applied to further those objectives.

Then there is Canon 2:

A Judge Should Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in
All Activities
A. Public confidence in the judiciary is eroded by irresponsible or improper conduct by judges. A judge must avoid all impropriety and appearance of impropriety. A judge must expect to be the subject of constant public scrutiny. A judge must therefore accept restrictions on conduct that might be viewed as burdensome by the ordinary citizen and should do so freely and willingly.

Since few people besides Anthony Weiner would send such a photo, the judge fell a bit off this mark.

McCree’s name may seem familiar for some lawyers. His father, Wade H. McCree Jr., was solicitor general to Jimmy Carter and the first African-American judge to be appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He, however, tended to keep his robes on.

McCree is a graduate from the University of Michigan (B.A.) and Stanford Law School (J.D.).

By the way, McCree is reportedly an expert on sexual misconduct cases.

Source: Daily Mail