Judges hold ultimate power in their courtrooms, but the eternal question is will they wield that power as an enlightened monarch — tempered by humility and a keen sense of their role as a public servant, a living avatar of the nation’s sense of justice — or more like mall cop with a bazooka and qualified immunity. When it’s the latter, that’s when you end up with judges handcuffing children and putting on a show of brutally punishing defendants and berating attorneys.
Over the weekend, Judge Nathan J. Milliron of the 215th Civil District Court in Harris County, Texas, garnered some notoriety when video of his courtroom interaction with an IT support worker started circulating around the internet.
The setup: Milliron experienced some kind of audio issue in his courtroom. An IT worker came to investigate. The IT worker — doing his actual job — determined there was no problem and described it as a “false alarm.”
And Judge Milliron lost it.
After the support worker found there was no problem and called it a false alarm, the normal, grounded response would be something like “yeah, I don’t know what happened, but thank you.” Instead Judge Milliron protested the characterization and became even more agitated when the IT worker revised it to a “false negative.” Honestly, you’ve got to appreciate the restraint to not say, “the problem was a loose nut behind the keyboard.”
The judge orders the IT worker to “get out of my courtroom,” then goes full Judge Karen and asks his staff to find the technician’s supervisor. As he stews, you can hear him mumbling that he’s “sick of this bullshit.” Apparently, insufficient deference in delivering good news is grounds for professional discipline.
The frustrating thing about a tech problem is that most of the time, there is no problem. Once you call IT, the gremlins magically disappear, leaving you holding the bag in front of an expert. But just being frustrating, is not a reason to start daydreaming about putting the staff in solitary.
This is what happens when someone confuses a courtroom with a personal kingdom. The IT worker didn’t say “hey dummy, it’s working fine” or “the secret is being at least 10 percent smarter than the piece of equipment.” A “false alarm” is a perfectly professional way of describing the situation.
It’s possible that the judge was just having a bad day and this is an uncharacteristic slice of his life that he regrets. On the other hand, Judge Milliron’s social media presence suggests he’s enjoys cultivating a reputation for lashing out at people from the bench. On his Facebook page — where he’s identified as a “Digital Creator” — he’s got a courtroom video compiled by Court Disorder and starring himself with the title “Judge Sanctions Attorney THOUSANDS Then Throws Him Out!“
Apparently, “get out of my courtroom” is a bit of a catchphrase for the judge.
Was it appropriate for the judge to sanction this lawyer? I don’t know. But I do know celebrating the sanction by posting a video on social media with captioned commentary like “Yikes!” and “Oh Sht!~” is not appropriate. And arrayed next to this IT interaction, it raises serious questions about temperament.
Also, not for nothing, the optics of a white Republican judge constantly featured lashing out at minorities — as both the IT worker and the sanctioned lawyer appear to be — is not lost on folks.
There was also a social media post several months ago calling upon the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct to open an investigation into the judge, alleging “unprofessional, nasty, and degrading communications toward Harris County Clerk’s Office staff” that “were not only unbecoming of a judge, but a direct violation of the standards of dignity, respect, and impartiality required of the bench.” Not an encouraging set of circumstances for anyone hoping to give the judge the benefit of the doubt on his IT escapades.
Judges who act like tin-pot dictators in their courtrooms tell themselves they’re maintaining decorum, but they’re actually undermining it. This comes across as full clown show. Given the power that judges command, the public needs to see someone exercising a deep sense of humility and respect for others. Milliron won his judgeship by roughly 304 votes out of over 1.4 million cast — how is that not humbling? For all the authority afforded judges to run their little fiefdoms, the courtroom belongs to the public and the judge is a mere custodian, not its king. And certainly not its “digital creator.”
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter or Bluesky if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.
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