A judge in Harris County, Texas, is facing backlash after a viral video showed him snapping at an IT employee who had just helped him fix a technology issue in his courtroom.
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In a clip from a court livestream that went viral over the weekend, District Judge Nathan Milliron of the 215th Civil Court is seen speaking with the IT worker, who is helping him with a computer issue.
After the IT employee tells Milliron that the remedy would take “5 seconds,” Milliron returns to his seat as the employee makes light of the tech problem.
“False negative?” the IT worker asks Milliron, giggling.
Harris County Civil Court Judge Nathan J. Milliron.District Courts of Harris County
“Don’t joke around,” Milliron shoots back, adding: “I’m serious about this. It was happening. I can’t understand.”
The IT worker bids the judge a respectful farewell, but Milliron responds, “Get out of my courtroom.”
“Jesus Christ,” Milliron continues, according to the video. “Sick and tired of this b——- today.”
It is not immediately clear when the incident occurred. Milliron did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After the video went viral online over the weekend, Harris County criminal defense lawyer James Stafford reached out to Milliron via email and asked him to apologize to the employee, Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association President Brent Mayr said in a social media video Tuesday.
“Just viewed your incident in your courtroom on Reddit with the IT guy who you addressed your problem that you were having,” Stafford wrote to Milliron, emails obtained by NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston show.
“I hope you issued him an apology for the way you treated him,” Stafford continued. “I hope you were just having a bad day and this is not your typical judicial temperament.”
In response, Milliron ordered Stafford to appear before him in court on April 9 “to address James’ opinions, his expressions as a citizen, as a voter,” Mayr said.
“The email is not a valid order,” Stafford told KPRC. “It has no legal enforcement.”
Mayr noted that the criminal lawyers association will be there to support Stafford in court — if he goes. Stafford, who has been practicing law for 52 years, told KPRC that he has never seen a judge act that way.
On Wednesday, KPRC reported that Milliron is listed as delinquent on two separate filings, including both campaign finance and personal financial disclosure reports, according to records from the Texas Ethics Commission.
