Judge who opposed Trump attacks on judiciary cleared of ethics complaints
Source: USA Today
Published 2:18 p.m. ET March 20, 2025
A federal judge has been cleared of wrongdoing for going on CNN to speak out against threats made against members of the judiciary and respond to President Donald Trump's comments about the daughter of the judge who presided over the New York case in which Trump was convicted last year.
The Philadelphia-based 3rd Circuit Judicial Council threw out two ethics complaints against Senior U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton in Washington. It found that Walton did not talk about the merits of any legal case but instead commented only on Trump's statements made on social media about Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the New York criminal case, and his family.
Chief U.S. Circuit Judge Michael Chagares said Walton warned about the "unintended consequences" of public remarks like those made by Trump and "also emphasized the importance of the independence of judicial officers in maintaining the rule of law and ensuring that laws are applied equally to all who appear before a judge." "These comments do not amount to judicial misconduct," Chagares wrote.
The ruling followed two judicial ethics complaints that were filed against Walton after the judge gave a rare televised interview to CNN in March 2024. One of the complaints was brought by a Trump ally, Article III Project founder Mike Davis. The other complainant has not been identified.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/20/judge-reggie-walton-cleared-trump-ethics-complaints/82568303007/
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