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A censured judge is up for reelection for the first time since he was disciplined by the state’s highest court for contributing to a “toxic work environment.”
(Photo: Judge J. Hunter Murphy, North Carolina Judicial Branch) The Supreme Court of North Carolina ordered the censure of Appeals Court Judge Hunter Murphy for enabling a “toxic work environment” in his chamber, in a disciplinary order reaffirming the Judicial Standards Commission recommendation Friday. The ruling was unanimous, with the exception of Justice Mark Davis, who did not take part in consideration of the matter. Murphy, a Republican, hired his high school friend Ben Tuite as his executive assistant, the senior position on his three-person law clerk staff, after being elected ...
Updated December 19, 2020 9:43 a.m. EST By Travis Fain, WRAL statehouse reporter Raleigh, N.C. — The state Supreme Court censured a judge on the state Court of Appeals this week, saying he hired his high school buddy, then turned "a blind eye" as the man belittled and sexually harassed law clerks in the office. Judge Hunter Murphy's conduct wasn't bad enough to warrant suspension or removal from the bench, the state Supreme Court said in an opinion posted Friday, but it did merit censure. Investigators from the state's Judicial Standards Commission heard from other employees that Ben Tu...