FIGHTING HYPOCRISY AT THE DALLAS BAR ASSOCIATION:

Former Dallas County Democratic Chair Ken Molberg pointed out a fascinating article at the Texas Lawyer: "Boycotting the Dallas Bar Association: Democratic Judges Vent Frustration Over DBA Response to '06 Campaign". Some excerpts:

"Many of the newly elected civil judges felt the DBA had unfairly involved itself in the rough and tumble of the 2006 judicial campaign through its bar polling, which they perceived was biased in favor of incumbents. Many believed the DBA had been hypocritical by asking the candidates to adhere to the DBA's judicial election creeds during the campaign while refusing to condemn the incumbent Republican judges who allegedly violated the same creeds through a series of attack ads leveled against the Democrats. Until the DBA addressed their concerns, several of the newly elected judges decided to boycott various DBA activities. So on March 13, DBA president Beverly Godbey appointed a 12-member Task Force on Bench/Bar Relations that will, in part, deal with the issues raised by the judges."

Judge Carlos Cortez of the 44th District Court "caustically condemned the DBA for its failure of leadership" at his January 24 investiture: "...during the last months of the campaign when we were being attacked [in campaign ads] and our profession was being demonized, when we were depicted as criminals ... when they told us we were defending serial rapists and child molesters, we decided not to respond because that would further disgrace the bar. ... Where was the Dallas Bar Association, where were its elected officials, when this was going on in our very backyard?" And he and others followed words with actions.

""I started boycotting things," says Cortez in an interview. "The bar wanted me to speak on panels for CLE, judge their mock trial program and help with their volunteer lawyer program. I told Godbey that I would not do anything until the bar association did something about what transpired in 2006. The other [new] district judges without exception started uniting behind me and jumped in."" And Judge Marty Lowy of the 101st District Court "resigned as co-vice chairman of the DBA’s Bench/Bar Conference Committee."

Read more in the article about the vicious Republican ads last year. (And since we're dealing with lawyers here, I'd better add some "fair use" stuff about these quotes: "In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for purposes of research, education, criticism, comment, or news reporting.")