A judge in Alabama has been suspended following accusations of making racially insensitive remarks and delaying essential court hearings to attend to personal matters, such as walking her dogs, as revealed in court documents.
Probate Judge Yashiba Blanchard is currently facing numerous allegations of incompetence and poor management in her courtroom, leading to a significant backlog of cases. This inefficiency prompted one attorney to plead for hearings to proceed as scheduled, fearing for a client’s life due to the delays.
Among the charges, Blanchard has been criticized for her habitual tardiness to court and failing to address any involuntary commitment cases until nine months into her tenure. This neglect left patients stranded in hospital mental wards, according to the complaint filed by the Judicial Inquiry Commission.
The complaint also highlights an incident where Judge Blanchard allegedly told her staff that her tardiness to an involuntary commitment docket was due to needing to walk her three dogs.
Hospital staff expressed their frustration in a letter to Blanchard’s office last year regarding a canceled hearing. This cancellation forced a patient to remain hospitalized for an extra two weeks simply because of the delays in accessing the hearing process, as reported by 1819 News.
The letter further emphasized the broader impact, stating that such docket cancellations disrupt hospital operations, delay care for other patients awaiting admission, potentially risk public safety, and place hospital staff in challenging operational situations. The staff expressed difficulty in understanding how the judge’s actions align with the shared responsibility of ensuring patients receive timely due process and the most appropriate, least-restrictive care.
In another one of the 24 instances of hearings delayed or canceled outlined in the complaint, an attorney responded to an email about a hearing being rescheduled with a desperate plea: “Just hoping we do not have a continuance because I am so worried that my client is going to die.”
Blanchard is also accused of targeting Chief Clerk Amanda Reid.
When a court staffer told the judge on her first day that she liked Reid, who is white, “Judge Blanchard then said, ‘Oh, I forgot you all like kissing white ass,’” the complaint states.
Blanchard also alleged moved Reid’s desk to a cubicle in front of her bailiff in retaliation for complying with a subpoena from the Judicial Inquiry Commission, according to WBRC.
In total, Blanchard faces seven charges for violating multiple provisions of the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics. She has been suspended indefinitely.
