An Alabama judge has been suspended following allegations of making racial comments about a white court clerk and delaying important hearings for hospitalized patients in favor of walking her dogs, as detailed in court documents.
Probate Judge Yashiba Blanchard is confronted with numerous accusations of incompetence in her courtroom, resulting in a significant backlog of cases. One attorney pleaded for proceedings to continue as planned due to concerns that their client was “going to die.”
According to a complaint filed by the Judicial Inquiry Commission, Blanchard was reportedly habitually late to court and failed to preside over any involuntary commitment cases for the first nine months of her term, leaving patients stuck in mental health facilities.
The complaint mentions an instance where Judge Blanchard told her staff that she was late to her involuntary commitment docket due to having to walk her three dogs.
Last year, hospital staff expressed their frustration in a letter to Blanchard’s office over a canceled hearing, which resulted in a patient being hospitalized for an extra two weeks because of the delay, as reported by 1819 News.
“Beyond this single case, the cancellation of the docket disrupts unit flow, delays care for other patients needing admission which can pose a threat to public safety and places our staff in untenable operational positions. It is difficult to reconcile today’s action with our shared responsibility to ensure patients receive timely due process and appropriate, least-restrictive care.”
In another of the 24 reported instances of delayed or canceled hearings, an attorney responded to a rescheduling email with a plea, expressing concern that their client might die if there was another delay.
Blanchard is also accused of targeting Chief Clerk Amanda Reid.
In a reported incident on her first day, a court staffer mentioned liking Reid, to which Judge Blanchard allegedly responded, “Oh, I forgot you all like kissing white ass.”
Blanchard allegedly moved Reid’s desk to a cubicle in front of her bailiff as punishment for Reid’s compliance with a subpoena from the Judicial Inquiry Commission, as reported by WBRC.
Overall, Blanchard is facing seven charges for breaching several provisions of the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics and has been suspended indefinitely.
