Name: Jonathan Martin
Title: Judge
Court: Yakima Municipal Court
County: Yakima
Discipline: Censure
Method of Resolution: Stipulation
Discipline Date: 06/02/2006
Canons Violated:1, 2(A), 2(B), 3(A)(2), 3(A)(3), 3(A)(4), 3(A)(5), 3(A)(6), and 3(B)
Summary: On June 2, 2006, the Commission approved a stipulated order of censure against former Yakima Municipal Court Judge Jonathan Martin, finding he had violated Canons 1, 2(A), 2(B), 3(A)(2), 3(A)(3), 3(A)(4), 3(A)(5), 3(A)(6) and 3(B) of the Code of Judicial Conduct. Those violations included statements and conduct that manifested either bias or insensitivity, including the use of the word "Chinaman" and referring to a domestic violence victim as a "heifer." Former Judge Martin contested a range of additional allegations, for example, that he improperly used the prestige of judicial office by writing to the police department on behalf of a railway company and signing his name as "Judge Martin;" failed to maintain order in his court; failed to follow courthouse protocols and legal procedures in criminal matters; failed to attend timely to important paperwork; and improperly conducted a contested infraction hearing outside the presence of a prosecutor. While the matter was pending in preliminary, confidential proceedings, former Judge Martin lost a reelection bid for his position. He and the Commission recognized that this created an unusual situation where the respondent judge was no longer sitting as a judge, and in lieu of litigating the matter, former Judge Martin and the Commission entered the stipulation. Former Judge Martin agreed that if the matter were to go to hearing, there was a substantial likelihood that the Commission could prove the violations, and he agreed to the sanction of censure and to comply with corrective actions required by the Commission. These corrective actions require that, prior to resuming any form of judicial office, he will complete training at his own expense, approved in advance by the Commission Chair, in judicial ethics, basic criminal procedure, and court management, and will again read and familiarize himself with the Code of Judicial Conduct.
Case Documents Available:
Certificate of Completion and Order filed 6/12/2007.
Stipulation, Agreement and Order of Censure filed 6/2/2006.