Name: Ralph G. Turco
Title: Judge
Court: Tacoma Municipal Court
County: Pierce
Discipline: Admonishment
Method of Resolution: Stipulation
Discipline Date: 12/01/1995
Canons Violated:1, 2(A), 3(A)(3)
Summary: Pursuant to a stipulation and agreement, the Commission admonished the judge for inappropriate statements in three domestic abuse cases. In one case, after finding the defendant guilty of assaulting his wife, the judge stated "you didn't need to bite her. Maybe you needed to boot her in the rear end, but you didn't need to bite her . . . ." In the second case, after finding the defendant guilty of assaulting his wife while forcibly removing her from an apartment where controlled substances were being used, the judge stated "fifty years ago I suppose they would have given you an award rather than what we're doing now." In the third case, after the victim-witness had not appeared, in a colloquy with the city attorney about dismissing the cases, the judge stated, "my opinion is that the police do 95% of the work when they separate the parties, so that takes care of 95% of the problem. You know, all we're doing is slapping someone after the police have remedied the situation. But, so be it. So I mean there's nothing to get excited about dismissing these cases."
Case Documents Available:
Stipulation Pursuant to WAC 292-12-020(6) and Written Admonishment filed 12/1/1995.
Answer to Statement of Charges filed 8/23/1995.
Statement of Charges filed 8/8/1995.