A Mississippi judge accused of preventing a mother from seeing her infant child for more than a year over unpaid court-imposed fees has resigned. The Youth Court in Pearl has also been permanently closed in light of the accusations filed against Judge John Shirley by The Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Mississippi, the Clarion Ledger reported. [Read … [Read more...]

Based on his disciplinary record, Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Bruce Mills is one of the worst jurists in the state. For the second time in five years, the Commission on Judicial Performance has initiated formal disciplinary proceedings against him. Those proceedings are rare; only two to three are launched each year. It’s time for Mills to step down, to spare everyone the … [Read more...]

A man on trial for drugging, raping and murdering his 14-year-old daughter admitted to the charges on Tuesday, after striking a deal with prosecutors that will save him from the death penalty. After gaining custody of his daughter Alycia and son in 2005, prosecutors say Mark Mesiti, 49, raped his daughter over several months, using a cocktail of drugs to put her into a sleep while he filmed … [Read more...]

MARTINEZ — A Contra Costa judge with a history of ethics violations was charged with judicial misconduct that could warrant his removal from the bench, records obtained Tuesday show. The two counts of misconduct include allegations that Judge Bruce C. Mills illegally doubled the sentence of a judicial rights advocate who Mills had found to be in contempt of court. Mills jailed the man for … [Read more...]

Eleven years after a 14-year-old girl went missing, and eight years after her remains were found at her father’s former Central Valley home, a trial began in the death-penalty case that involves explosive allegations of drug use and sexual abuse. Chief Deputy District Attorney Annette Rees told jurors in Modesto that Alycia Mesiti-Allen died of “mixed drug intoxication” — and that her father, … [Read more...]