L.A. judge who threatened to shoot people in his courtroom admonished by state panel

"The Commission on Judicial Performance, the state agency responsible for probing complaints of judicial misconduct and incapacity as well as disciplining judges, issued its findings in August. A public admonishment is typically issued for serious misconduct. The commission found that while presiding over criminal matters at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles, Superior Court Judge Enrique Monguia made public remarks threatening to "shoot" people or have people "shot" by his bailiff, including attorneys and a retired judge."

"The panel said he also engaged in a pattern of improper remarks that "were discourteous and gave the appearance of bias to a crime victim, prospective jurors, defendants, attorneys and others." Each of Monguia's remarks "constituted an abuse of authority" and violated the judicial rules of conduct, according to the commission's statement on the findings. Monguia could not immediately be reached for comment. However, the panel said he did not contest the issuance of the public admonishment."

Superior Court Judge Enrique Monguia received a public admonishment from the Commission on Judicial Performance for making threats and other inappropriate remarks while presiding over criminal matters at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center. The commission found that Monguia threatened to "shoot" people or have them "shot" by his bailiff and made discourteous comments that gave the appearance of bias toward crime victims, prospective jurors, defendants and attorneys. The panel concluded the remarks constituted an abuse of authority and violated judicial conduct rules. Monguia acknowledged wrongdoing, expressed remorse, and did not contest the admonishment.

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