The Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct has issued a formal reprimand to a sitting Burnet County judge who posted on Facebook a photo of a black murder suspect accused of killing a police officer with the comment, “Time for a tree and a rope.” Judge James Oakley (pictured), who is white, denied that the comment about Otis Tyrone McKane was a race-based reference to lynching. “My comment was intended to reflect my personal feelings that this senseless murder of a police officer should qualify for the death penalty. In my mind, the race/gender of the admitted cop killer was not relevant,” he told the commission. That is not how observers of the post saw it: 18 people filed written complaints to the Commission about Oakley’s comment. The reprimand said, “Multiple Complainants also questioned Judge Oakley’s suitability for judicial office, and expressed doubts that he could perform his duties impartially.” Oakley will be required to attend a 30-hour training for new judges and receive 4 hours of racial sensitivity training with a mentor, but will not be removed from office or excluded from presiding over any class of cases. In its reprimand, the Commission wrote, “During the appearance, Judge Oakley made certain statements that indicated to the Commission that he could benefit from racial sensitivity training with a mentoring judge.” The incident was reminiscent of an incident in March in which a white Seminole County, Florida court employee posted a comment on Facebook that black State Attorney Aramis Ayala “should be tarred and feathered if not hung from a tree,” for announcing that she would not seek the death penalty. After an investigation into the circumstances surrounding that posting, the clerk resigned his position.
(E. Findell, “Judge must undergo sensitivity training after ‘tree and a rope’ post,” Austin American-Statesman, May 6, 2017; “Texas judge reprimanded for ‘tree and a rope’ post,” Associated Press, May 7, 2017.) See Race.
