If a police officer had done what she did, they’d be fired. So why is a judge still allowed to wear the robe?
Dallas County District Judge Amber Givens, a Democrat, has just been publicly sanctioned for misconduct by the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct — not once, but twice. A public admonition and a public reprimand were both handed down in June, detailing serious violations that should concern anyone who cares about due process, public trust, or basic courtroom standards.
So where’s the outrage?
The sanctions reveal that Judge Givens unlawfully jailed two defendants — even after she’d already recused herself from their cases. In one instance, she signed a jail sanction that put a man behind bars for six days, despite having no legal authority to do so. In another, she believed she was still presiding over a case and ordered the defendant into custody when they didn’t appear — again, after the case had been reassigned to another judge. The commission found these were not misunderstandings. They were willful violations.
The reprimand also outlined a pattern of unprofessional and disrespectful behavior: Givens allowed her court coordinator to conduct a hearing without notifying the attorneys involved. She failed to process recusal motions in a timely manner. And she secretly recorded a phone call with a fellow judge — a clear violation of both protocol and respect.
This wasn’t a one-off. In 2022, over 100 motions were filed to have Judge Givens recused by both prosecutors and defense attorneys — an extraordinary number that shows just how broken her courtroom had become.
Yet here we are in 2025, and she’s still on the bench.
Let’s be honest: if a police officer had unlawfully jailed someone, denied them due process, or acted with this level of documented bias and incompetence, it would be a national scandal. Media trucks would be parked outside their house. Politicians would demand resignations. Activists would be holding daily press conferences.
But because it’s a judge — an elected Democrat with deep political connections — there’s barely a whisper.
This is the double standard we’ve been talking about for years. Accountability in Dallas is lopsided. Police officers face intense scrutiny for even split-second decisions made in dangerous conditions, while those higher up the chain — DAs, judges, council members — skate by with almost zero consequence, even when the failures are blatant and ongoing.
We’ve already seen the damage this system causes. We’ve seen violent offenders walk free on low bonds. We’ve seen the DA drop serious charges or delay prosecutions until it’s too late. Now we’re seeing judicial misconduct that literally sent innocent people to jail — and still, the silence from City Hall is deafening.
Where are the council members calling for judicial reform? Where is the outrage from the same voices who claim to care about justice and fairness? Why does it only matter when it’s a cop?
If public trust in the system matters — and it should — then that trust has to apply equally. Judges are not above the law. They are not untouchable. And when they abuse their power, the response should be just as loud as it would be if a patrol officer did the same.
The people of Dallas deserve better than this kind of selective outrage. If we’re serious about fixing our justice system, that means demanding accountability across the board — not just for the officers enforcing the law, but for the ones interpreting it too.
Want to do something about it?
Contact your Dallas City Council member and tell them this matters. Judicial misconduct is not a minor issue. It erodes public trust and leaves real damage behind. The people who swore to uphold justice should not be allowed to break it without consequence.
