Font Size: 
Judge Accused of Routinely Leaving Work Early Agrees to Resign
The Recorder
April 17, 2009
A Riverside County, Calif., judge accused of regularly skipping out of work early will resign and accept a public censure from the Commission on Judicial Performance, according to an agreement announced Wednesday.
Commissioners concluded that Superior Court Judge Christopher Sheldon, who handled juvenile dependency cases in Indio, Calif., "routinely" left the courthouse for the day after his calendar concluded -- usually before noon. The judge didn't clear his early exits, going back to early 2007, with superiors and he didn't volunteer for other work despite the Riverside court's notorious backlog of cases, the commission said.
"Judge Sheldon's routine of working part-time while being paid a full-time salary is utterly unacceptable and casts disrepute upon the judicial office," the commission wrote.
In a January response to the charges, Sheldon denied that his supervisors didn't know what he was doing. And when a superior complained in September 2008, he said, "I conformed my hours to their expectations."
The commission publicly admonished Sheldon in 1998 for similar behavior, including leaving the courthouse and jogging on the courthouse stairs during his pretrial calendar. "Unfortunately, the issuance of a public admonishment did not deter Judge Sheldon from abandoning his judicial responsibilities in the future," the commission wrote.
As part of a deal with the CJP, Sheldon agreed to step down from the bench on May 12 and to use his accumulated leave time until Oct. 23, when he will officially resign and never seek judicial office again. In exchange, the commission will not pursue a more immediate dismissal. The resignation date will leave Sheldon with 20 years of service, making him eligible for a full judicial pension.
