On Tuesday, suspended Jefferson County Probate Judge Yashiba Blanchard was on the other side of the bench for the first hearing on the seven ethics charges she faces before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary.
The 120-page report detailing Blanchard’s alleged conduct went viral in May, with national outlets, including the New York Post and TMZ, as well as the American Bar Association, picking it up. The report alleged a pattern of misconduct that began on the day she took office and continued until her suspension.
The charges against Blanchard include:
- Pattern and practice of failing to diligently discharge judicial duties
- Pattern and practice of failing to follow the law
- Pattern and practice of exhibiting bias against attorneys appearing in Judge Blanchard's court
- Failure to disqualify from a case in which Judge Blanchard served as an attorney
- Harassment, intimidation and retaliation against probate court staff
- Allowing other court officials subject to Judge Blanchard's direction and control to engage in harassment and intimidation of probate court staff
- Failure to maintain professional competence in judicial administration
The trial is expected to take place late this year before the state Supreme Court, with lawyers on both sides saying they’ll need months for discovery, depositions and case preparation, according to a report by CBS 42.
The hearing confirmed what sources with direct knowledge of the office and its investigations have told 1819 News: the State Office of Public Examiners is conducting an ongoing independent investigation into Blanchard’s spending. The same sources say that local and federal law enforcement agencies are also looking into her spending, as well as claims that her bailiff misrepresented himself as a local law enforcement agency by using uniforms purchased under her direction.
Attorneys for Blanchard asked the judge at Thursday's hearing to allow her access to her office to retrieve a computer needed to comply with a state auditor's request for information.
Sources tell 1819 News that Blanchard spent an excessive amount of archival funds on purchases ranging from flowers to furniture, including a Jefferson U-Shaped desk for her use, reportedly delivered after Blanchard’s suspension, which cost between $7,000 and $9,000.
Blanchard is also alleged to have ordered T-shirts with her name on them through probate office funds. The design closely resembles her campaign logo.
Blanchard did not speak to the media going into or out of the hearing.
"Right now we just want everybody to settle down and let this process to happen," Emory Anthony, one of Blanchard's attorneys, told CBS 42 as they departed.
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