Creating “a contentious atmosphere in a small court”

California judge admonished for failing to cooperate with court administration, talking about cases where she could be overheard, and other misconduct: Extra content #52

The California Commission on Judicial Performance publicly admonished Judge Susanne Rizo for (1) reporting to the State Bar that 2 court administrators were engaging in the “unauthorized practice of law” and that the presiding judge was “aiding and abetting” them, (2) responding to routine scheduling communications in a “volatile and disproportionate” manner; (3) speaking about litigants and their cases in an area of the courthouse where she could be overheard; (4) dismissing a traffic infraction because she was handling the calendar for the first time and could not determine the validity of the defendant’s argument; and (4) making a probable cause determination concerning a litigant from whose cases she was disqualified. In the Matter of Rizo, Decision and order (California Commission on Judicial Performance October 29, 2025).