The American Civil Liberties Union is now asking the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct to investigate a local judge who released several juveniles after losing last week's election.
“It is improper for a judge to make orders motivated by partisan interests or spite as a result of his political loss,” says Sharon Watkins Jones, director of political strategies for the ACLU of Texas.
District Court Judge Glenn Devlin made national headlines when he asked the defendants -- four charged with aggravated robbery -- whether they planned to kill anyone. Then he released them.
“What he did was completely outside the bounds of the juvenile justice code in releasing anyone that day regardless of whether they were charged with a misdemeanor DWI or an aggravated robbery, he did not follow the law,” says attorney Chris Tritico.
Tritico says Devlin can and should be held accountable. “A defeated judge can still be a visiting judge, so they can still take action against him and still sanction him as a judge.”
Efforts seeking comment from Judge Devlin were not returned.