HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – The State Commission on Judicial Conduct has recommended Judge Franklin Bynum be suspended over allegations that consist of him being biased against prosecutors and easy on defendants.
“I can’t remember the last time a judge has been suspended in Harris County based on something less than an allegation of criminal wrongdoing,” said KPRC 2 legal analyst Brian Wice.
Bynum presides over Harris County Criminal Court at Law 8 and has been on the bench since Jan. of 2019.
Ray Hunt, the Executive Director of Houston of the Houston Police Officers Union, told KPRC he filed a complaint against Bynum last year.
“He’s an admitted socialist, he’s anti-police, he’s anti-government, he’s anti-victim and he’s definitely pro-suspect,” Hunt said.
The commission charged Bynum with bias against the state, failure to comply and reasonable doubt regarding judicial impartiality.
“These allegations aren’t criminal,” Wice said. “These allegations are more in line with a civil lawsuit that the commission has filed to remove Judge Bynum from the bench.”
KPRC 2 reached out to Judge Bynum about the commission’s decision and obtained this statement:
“The completely unprecedented actions of the Judicial Conduct Commission this week violate both the spirit and the letter of the Texas and United States constitutions. I welcome the beginning of this long-overdue formal process to challenge their allegations.”
KPRC also obtained a statement from the Harris County District Attorney’s office:
“Judges swear an oath to uphold the law and strive for impartiality. The criminal justice system works only if they adhere to their oath. We trust that the Texas Supreme Court will take appropriate action.”
Read the Commission’s allegations against Judge Bynum below: