LIT UPDATE AND COMMENTARY
JUL 18, 2023
Judge John Lipscombe was a judge of the Travis County Court at Law No. 3 in Texas.
He left office on December 31, 2022.
Lipscombe was convicted of DUI and his license suspended for 180 days BUT by order of the court he was allowed to drive 7 days a week, up to 12 hours a day without restriction during the suspension.
Seriously, it doesn’t get more absurd.
B U Y I N G J U D G E S
How Politicians like Gov. Ron Desantis @RonDeSantis Pick Judges and Brag about it on a road trip to Harlan Crow’s Texas and where Ron visited with TPPF @TPPF the Texas Organization in Austin funded by Billionaires with Agendas. https://t.co/r28xx4SysI pic.twitter.com/kWYoAjgLQx— lawsinusa (@lawsinusa) July 18, 2023
Travis County judge arrested over drunk driving, records say
Judge John Lipscombe was booked into the Travis County Jail around 9 a.m. on Saturday after his arrest near The Domain.
MAY 7 2022 | REPUBLISHED BY LIT: MAY 7, 2022
AUSTIN, Texas — A Travis County judge who handles many DWI cases says he won’t resign after his recent drunk driving arrest.
John Lipscombe has presided over Travis County Court at Law No. 3 since 2011.
While the judge says he won’t resign, it’s still unclear if he will actually return to bench.
Legally, he can come back to work, according to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, and can hear cases unless he is convicted.
County Attorney Delia Garza says her office won’t ask him to step aside from handling drunken driving cases.
Those cases make up 65% of Lipscombe’s cases overall.
If he doesn’t come back to work, he can still hold the office, but the County would have to hire a visiting judge at a weekly rate of $2,950, which could cost the County about $80,000 between now and the end of the year.
That’s when Lipscombe’s current term expires.
Right now, the County is paying a visiting judge to cover his seat and has spent about $5,000 doing so since his arrest.
APD arrested Lipscombe at a hotel in the early hours of May 7. An affidavit said he was argumentative and disoriented.
Prosecutors say they are still deciding how to proceed with the case and are awaiting more evidence, including his blood alcohol level.
The KVUE Defenders have asked for APD camera footage of the arrest, but the County Attorney’s Office is still considering our request.
Lipscombe’s attorney said his client has served Travis County for 31 years and, just like any other defendant, he should be considered innocent until proven guilty.
NEW: A Travis County judge who presides over drunken driving cases was arrested and charged early today with that crime. APD officers arrested Judge John Lipscombe in the parking lot of a hotel on Stonelake Boulevard. pic.twitter.com/8DH0do4N2U
— Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) May 7, 2022
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police arrested and charged a Travis County judge who presides over drunken driving cases with that crime.
Judge John Lipscombe was booked into the Travis County Jail around 9 a.m. on Saturday, according to jail records.
Police did not immediately release details of what prompted the arrest. It happened in the parking lot of Homewood Suites on Stonelake Boulevard in North Austin, Austin police spokesman Brandon Jones confirmed.
Lipscombe has been on the bench since 2011. Prior to becoming a judge, he was a prosecutor in the Travis County Attorney’s Office.
Lipscombe was in the news in 2019 after the state commission on judicial conduct admonished him for draping a black cloth over the doors of his court to protest the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, saying that he “cast discredit on the judiciary.”
Shameless Tenn. Gov. Wants into the Print and Digital Media Foreclosure Sale Advertising Space
Lobbyists for the banking and mortgage co’s requested the bill in which they set the statutory price of their foreclosure notices at $200.
Texas Senator Schwertner Boozin’ and Drivin’ Leads to DWI Arrest in the Capitol
A Texas senator from Georgetown was arrested by Austin Police. Charles Jeffrey Schwertner, 52, was booked into Jail just after 2 a.m. Tuesday.
Meanwhile in Michigan: Former Chief Judge Jailed for Contempt
Police arrested former Alpena judge Michael Mack on drunk driving-related charges connected to two separate incidents in spring of 2021.
