It's the latest of four complaints to have been filed against Judge Amber Givens and her behavior during online court proceedings since the COVID pandemic began.
DALLAS — A group of lawyers has accused a Dallas County judge of forcing a staff member to impersonate her during an online court proceeding in August.
The Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association filed a complaint in late November to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, alleging that Amber Givens, the presiding judge of the 282nd Judicial District Court, had her court coordinator illegally conduct a court hearing in her stead.
It is the latest of four complaints filed against Givens, all relating to her online behavior and actions during court proceedings since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
In a Nov. 16 email obtained by WFAA through an open records request, Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot told Givens that he intended to "open a criminal investigation" into the accusations. Creuzot’s email came in response to an Oct. 22 email Givens had sent him that said one of Creuzot’s prosecutors was falsely accusing her of courtroom improprieties.
Creuzot declined to comment on any investigation plans when contacted by WFAA.
In Texas, impersonating a public servant is a third-degree felony under the penal code.
Givens denied the allegations in a statement provided to WFAA, saying "these claims are unsubstantiated" and that it is a "false narrative."
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