Houston Judge Accused Of An Array of Misconduct From Hiring Prostitutes To Drug Use To Ruling In Case Involving Lover

Houston Judge Hilary Green is the subject of an extraordinary report from the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct.  The Texas Supreme Court was given a detailed account that alleges that the justice of the peace used illegal drugs like ecstasy and marijuana as well as abused the cough syrup Tussionex. Some of the marijuana had been confiscated by the court bailiff.  It also alleged that she engaged in extramarital affairs and hired prostitutes.  She is also accused of sexting a court employee. Finally, she is accused of ruling in favor of a convicted conman despite her personal relationship with the defendant.  There is an interesting technicality being claimed by Green to bar consideration of much of her misconduct.

Witnesses against Green include her former husband, Ronald Green, and a former lover, Claude Barnes, who had a five-year extramarital affair with Hilary Green.  It is not clear why, given the criminality of some of these allegations, Judge Green has not been subject to a criminal charge if the facts are supported.  Her former husband claims that she lied to the commission about her ruling in favor of convicted conman Dwayne Jordon.  For his part, Barnes alleges that he and the judge hired prostitutes for “three-way” trysts and he was tasked with buying the pot for her.

According to the Houston Chronicle. Green admitted to using illegal drugs and abusing Tussionex, but denied the other charges.

Now here is the technicality: state law mandates that “an officer may not be removed … for an act the officer committed before election to office.” The question is what constitutes the period of office holding.  Green insists that the controlling date should be her 2016 re-election — making all of this simply interesting chatter.  However, the commission believes that the relative date is 2007 when she was first elected as a democratic candidate for Justice of the Peace.