Some people just can't stay out of trouble.

Michigan judge Wade "no shame in my game" McCree is back in the news.  We have previously covered the exploits of Judge McCree here and here.  The Detroit News reports that prosecutors in Wayne County, Michigan have referred Judge McCree back to the Michigan's judicial tenure commission after Judge McCree went to them claiming a woman was both stalking him and trying to extort money from him.  A person stalkiing a judge?  That sounds serious.

However, prosecutors are not charging the women.  Why not?  The article does not say directly but it could be because the woman, Geniene La'Shay Mott, is apparently pregnant with Judge McCree's child.  In fact, Ms. Mott's Facebook profile photo is one of her and Judge McCree.

Now that would be a news story by itself.  However, there is more.  Judge McCree apparently takes his dating tips from Ken Kratz.  What makes me say that?  Judge met Ms. Mott when she appeared as a litigant before him in a child support case.  Ms. Mott told Detroit's Fox News station that "I met him as a litigant, a complaining witness in his coutroom, and he stayed around after the case was over and that's when the second half of the flirting started and we went from there and our relationship picked up." 

According to Ms. Mott, the relationship progressed like this this:  it "went from being a summer fling and just something to do to falling in love, promises of marriage, me getting pregnant, us buying a house together, name it."  

"Name it"  is kind of open-ended.  What are some example of "name it"?  Well, Judge McCree asked Ms. Mott to keep quiet about their relationship.  Perhaps this was because Judge McCree is/was married.  Also, as one message Judge McCree sent Ms. Mott put it:

My Judicial Tenure Commission has me nervous, as you might expect.  I have to be real careful until this matter is put to rest...  you are the complaining witness on a case that is before me.  Naturally if it got out that we were seeing each other before your B.D.'s (baby daddy) case closed, everybody could be in deep (expletive).  Why you want to spend time with a man like me remains a mystery, but if you'll have me... then as Bill Withers said, "use me up!"  SMOOCHES.

He also wrote to Ms. Mott about how to punish her baby's daddy in the case before him.  Judge McCree wrote, "The math will be based on his failures since being placed on probation, but if U'r right, the threat of jail will loosen his purse strings!"  

Ms. Mott also told the TV station that Judge McCree had Ms. Mott had sex in the judge's chambers "very often."

Because this is American in the twenty-first century, Ms. Mott, who did not talk to the Detroit News.  That is old media.  She did, however, take to Twitter and Facebook to discuss the Fox News story.  Ms. Mott tweeted "My life is public enough! I'm her ok u saw the news story."  She also took to Twitter to tell people to stop sending her friend requests on Facebook. Moreover, prior to the story breaking she discussed her pregnancy with tweets such as, "Baby mccree is kicking my butt already # nausea."

Ms. Mott wrote on Facebook that, 

evrything else regarding my relationship wit Wade Mccree is as stated in the fox news story. Please pray for the innocent children both mine, his, & ours that are effected by jugde mccrees actions & also mine for getting involved w/this situation. Only myself, wade & GOD know all the details therefore ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE ME.

Despite these tweets and Facebook posts, on November 28, Ms. Mott posted on her Facebook wall that she is known for being "private & professional life 4 being beyond discreet."  I would say that people can judge for themselves whether this statement seems plausible but only God can do that.

Has Judge McCree done anything to run afoul (again) of the Michigan Code of Judicial Conduct?  It appears so.  Cannon 1 of the code says that a judge should "uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary."  We live in a polarized country, but I would like to think that everyone can agree that when judges impregnating litigants that appear before them it calls into question the integrity of the judiciary (or at least of the judge).   

Cannon 2 of the code says that judges "should avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all activities."   Oddly the canon ends by saying that it should not be "interpreted to diminish a judge's right to the free exercise of religion."  Perhaps this clause can save Judge McCree from being disciplined.  Otherwise, it sure looks like Judge McCree violated this canon.

One person who thinks that Judge McCree acted improperly is Robert King, the person Ms. Mott was suing for child support.  When Fox News showed Mr. King the messages between Ms. Mott and Judge McCree, Mr. King said he could not believe what he was seeing and that the it looked like the case was set up for him to lose.  

I do no want to limit Mr. Torvik's freedom of action but when President Obama finally addresses his inexplicable failure to name us to the bench, I promise not to impregnate anyone who appears before me as a litigant.