State judicial commission shuts door on sunset review

[TexasTowelie]

Still in time for Sunshine Week, which celebrates open records laws, a new report reveals a Texas agency so secretive that even state investigators were refused access to most of its records.

When the Sunset Advisory Commission, which is legislatively charged with determining if state agencies are operating efficiently, asked for records of meetings of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, the commission refused. The commission, which hears misconduct complaints levied against the state's 4,000 judges, argued that "its meetings are closed to everyone, including the Sunset Commission and its staff," according to the sunset agency's report on the judicial conduct commission, released this month.

Not only that, the report said, but the judges' commission refused to grant state investigators permission to read any of the memoranda about its rulings because of attorney-client privilege.

<<snip>>

"As a result, staff could not assess the commission's primary duty," the report concluded. "By preventing a full review, the Commission on Judicial Conduct seriously limits the ability of the Sunset Commission and the Legislature to assess the oversight of judges in Texas, as required by law."

http://www.statesman.com/news/texas/state-judicial-commission-shuts-door-on-sunset-review-2236150.html

[font color=green]Yes, it's the same commission that gave Judge Sharon Keller a slap on the hand rather than censuring her after she closed the door at the Court of Criminal Appeals at 5 p.m. when a man faced execution.[/font]

[mbperrin]

1. No information? Time to sunset them. Publish the date when they will cease.

Then we can get a new agency with explicit open provisions.

This is the same solution as for all bullies - won't let you into their super secret treehouse? Tear it down.