Another infamous judge

By all means, investigate jurist’s alleged favoritism

Around these parts, any reference to a Judge Parker is bound to conjure up Fort Smith’s legendary Isaac C. Parker, the so-called “hanging judge” who held court in Fort Smith for

21 years in the late 1800s, sentencing 160 people to death.

Last week in Carroll County, however, the

Judge Parker making recent headlines goes by the first name of Timothy. He didn’t hang anyone in his role as a district judge, but he has gained a level of notoriety now by resigning from office after admitting to giving preferential treatment to friends and former clients who ended up in his court. That’s a shameful admission for someone whose job is to administer blind justice.

By virtue of an agreement with Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission, Parker can never be a judge again. But he keeps his law license and can continue the practice of law. His resignation pre-empted the release of additional information about the extent of his misdeeds.

Thankfully, a special investigator is looking into even more serious allegations, even though his acknowledged violation of the public trust is serious itself. His resignation from an office he didn’t run to keep seems a fairly meaningless penalty, but it’s good to know a criminal investigation will determine whether allegations of further corruption deserve legal action.

It’s such a disappointment, a betrayal of the public, when something like this happens. The commission appears to have done all it can do, but if further investigation turns up evidence Parker traded on his judicial authority, he needs to be fully prosecuted.

The case against Parker should proceed without favor. A judge who abused his office deserves to know what the administration of justice looks like.