Name: Debbie Mendoza
Title: Judge
Court: Zillah Municipal Court
County: Yakima
Discipline: Reprimand
Method of Resolution: Stipulation
Discipline Date: 04/10/2009
Canons Violated:1, 2(A), 3(A)(1)
Summary: From an agreed statement of facts, the Commission determined that Zillah Municipal Court Judge Debbie Mendoza violated Canons 1, 2(A), and 3(A)(1) by routinely failing to determine whether unrepresented criminal defendants understood their procedural and constitutional rights, including the right to counsel, at arraignment and probation violation hearings. Judge Mendoza also failed to record court hearings, despite the plain statutory obligation that they must be recorded. She also employed uncertified, non-qualified interpreters contrary to statute, often using bilingual jail staff to interpret at in-custody telephonic arraignments for non-English speaking defendants. This presented a conflict of interest between law enforcement and the defendants' right to neutral interpreters to understand the court process. The Commission reprimanded Judge Mendoza and required her to promptly read and familiarize herself with the Code of Judicial Conduct, the Criminal Rules for Courts of Limited Jurisdiction and the Criminal Procedure Benchbook for Courts of Limited Jurisdiction in their entirety. She further agreed that, for one year following entry of this stipulation, she would provide the Commission with audio or video recordings of each court calendar, and would complete a course on criminal procedure, approved in advance.
Case Documents Available:
Certificate of Completion and Order filed 7/9/2010.
Stipulation, Agreement and Order of Reprimand filed 4/10/2009.