Bill Weisenberger
Bill Weisenberger was a judge for theMadison County Justice Court, District 3 inMadison County,Mississippi. He was elected to the court in 2011 to succeed JudgeCindy B. Alford.[1] Weisenberg was defeated in his bid for re-election in 2015.[2]
Elections
2011
Weisenberger won in the Republican primary election onAugust 2, 2011, and was elected to theMadison County Justice Court after running unopposed in theNovember general election.[3]
Noteworthy events
Judge at center of racial abuse case
In May 2014, Weisenberger was accused of slapping and kicking a mentally disabled black man and telling him, "Run, n*****, run."[4]
On May 8, 2014, 20-year-oldEric Rivers was trying to collect tips by asking vendors at the Canton Flea Market if they needed help loading or unloading. One of the witnesses was Robert Perkins, whose parents were vendors. Perkins said that he saw Weisenberger yelling at Rivers and explained, "[Weisenberger] pushed him, hit him, called him a n----- and told him to run." Perkins said that afterwards, he saw Weisenberger "laughing and giving a 'high five' to a police officer."[5]
According to Perkins' mother, Kelly Bailey Ray, Weisenberger had also cursed at her son. Ray said that she asked Weisenberger not to use profanity around children, but when Ray's husband entered the scene to talk to Weisenberger, the judge allegedly told him, "I'm going to deal with you because I don't take orders from a woman."[5] Later, when Ray confronted him about hitting Rivers, she said that Weisenberger explained his actions by saying Rivers had groped a woman. Ray later filed the complaint with the police.[5]
The former mayor of Canton, William Truly, is the current president of NAACP's Canton branch. He responded to the situation, stating,
| “ | When you preferentially choose, based on their ethnicity, to simply slap and kick and call them n*gger, that means that was in your heart—there was bitterness and hate for that person.[6] | ” |
| —William Truly[4] | ||
The NAACP called for Weisenberger to step down while the case was being investigated.
The case was initially given to District Attorney Michael Guest.[5] According to a statement by Guest: "We are awaiting records from Region 8 Mental Health Services, the facility where the victim was receiving treatment...One of the essential elements of (a potential charge) is that he qualifies as a vulnerable adult."[7]
The investigation was passed to the Attorney General's office in July 2014. The matter also appeared before theMississippi Commission on Judicial Performance, but Darlene Ballard, the commission's executive director, stated, "Everything we do is confidential until we make a recommendation to the Supreme Court."[8]
Another lawsuit was filed against Weisenberger in December 2014, alleging that Weisenberger had had Charles Plumpp arrested on the trumped up charge of "roaming livestock." Plumpp's attorney stated that it was a "nonexistent crime" and that Weisenberger's actions were racially motivated (Plumpp is African American). The lawsuit also namedMadison County as a defendant which impelled county officials to expedite the review of the multiple allegations against Weisenberger. Mike Espy, the attorney forMadison County's Board of Supervisors, stated, "The Board of Supervisors almost to a man is not happy with his (Weisenberger's) alleged actions and antics, and they asked me to seek a meeting with the Commission on Judicial Performance to discuss his recent history."[9]
On February 12, 2014, Weisenberger turned himself over to authorities after a grand jury indicted him with a simple assault on a vulnerable adult, for the May 2014 incident at the Canton Flea Market. He was then released on a $10,000 bond.[10]
On February 19, 2015, theMississippi Commission on Judicial Performance filed a petition with theMississippi Supreme Court seeking to have Weisenberger suspended in the interim period without pay. Weisenberger, in his response to the complaint, denied using a racial slur or committing assault. He also stated that he had made a mistake in handing down the sentence against Plumpp, and had had it changed to a sentence of 48 hours served.[11]
In December, the Commission on Judicial Performance recommended that the supreme court remove Weisenberg from office. They also recommend that he be faced with a $1,000 fine and $5,918.46 in assessed costs. If the supreme court agrees, Weisenberg would be barred from holding a judicial office in the future.[12]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the termsBill Weisenberger Mississippi judge. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- State of Mississippi Judiciary, "Justice Court"
- News Channel 12, "Madison County Judge Under Scrutiny For Biased Sentence," June 9, 2014
Footnotes
- ↑Madison County, Mississippi, "Justice Court," accessed January 20, 2015
- ↑The Clarion-Ledger, "Bill Weisenberger loses runoff election," August 26, 2015
- ↑MCHerald.com, "Runoffs ahead in 2 GOP judicial races," August 4, 2011
- ↑4.04.1Jackson Free Press, "Madison Judge Racial-Abuse Case to go to Grand Jury," May 27, 2014
- ↑5.05.15.25.3The Clarion-Ledger, "Case against Madison County judge now with DA," May 28, 2014
- ↑Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑Madison County Journal, "Weisenberger case delayed for grand jury presentation," June 11, 2014
- ↑Madison County Journal, "AG now looking at judge," July 30, 2014
- ↑The Clarion-Ledger, "New accusations emerge against Madison County judge," December 19, 2014
- ↑The Clarion-Ledger, "Madison Co. judge accused of racial abuse indicted," February 14, 2015
- ↑The Clarion-Ledger, "Judicial commission seeks suspension of Madison Co. judge," February 19, 2015
- ↑WJTV 12, "Mississippi Commission of Judicial Performance recommends Judge Weisenberger to be removed," December 22, 2015
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court:Northern District of Mississippi,Southern District of Mississippi • U.S. Bankruptcy Court:Northern District of Mississippi,Southern District of Mississippi
State courts:
Mississippi Supreme Court•Mississippi Court of Appeals•Mississippi circuit courts•Mississippi Chancery Court•Mississippi county courts•Mississippi justice courts•Mississippi youth courts•Mississippi Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Mississippi •Mississippi judicial elections •Judicial selection in Mississippi
