The California Commission on Judicial Performance removed Superior Court Judge Diana Hall from the Santa Barbara County bench on Tuesday, calling her conduct “materially deceitful and lawless.”
In its unanimous decision, the commission cited Hall’s 2003 drunk-driving conviction, her attempt to cloak a campaign contribution from her romantic partner and her improper quizzing of a prosecutor who requested a different judge. Commissioners also revealed that they privately admonished Hall in 2005 for commandeering a press seat during Michael Jackson’s 2004 trial on child molestation charges, in defiance of the courtroom judge — and even as the CJP was investigating other allegations against her.
