JONESBORO, Ark. — Following letters from the prosecutor and the director of the Family Crisis Center, two former Craighead County Bar Association presidents are speaking out about Circuit Judge-elect Doug Brimhall taking the bench as a judge.
A new letter was sent to Second Judicial District Judge Pam Honeycutt by members of the Nadzam Law Firm voicing serious concerns about the integrity of the judicial system should Brimhall take the bench in January 2025. The letter, dated October 8, states it will “gravely undermine the integrity of the judicial system if Mr. Brimhall is sworn in as judge in the Second Judicial District.”
The letter states, “We plan to file formal complaints with the Office of Professional Conduct and the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission.”
The letter is signed by attorneys Carla Rogers Nadzam and Andrew M. Nadzam, former Craighead County Bar Association presidents. It notes the history of the criminal case against Brimhall, which saw him face a felony charge for actions on May 3, 2024, involving his eldest child. Since then, Brimhall took a guilty plea for misdemeanor harassment and received a 12-month suspended sentence, fines, fees, anger management classes, community service, and the requirement he writes a letter of apology to his victim.
Despite this, Brimhall still plans to take the bench as a judge, a press release issued by his attorneys said.
“As attorneys, we have a duty under the Model Rules of Professional Conduct to report those lawyers and judges who engage in behavior which ‘raises a substantial question as to that’ lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a lawyer, and/or that judge’s fitness for office,” the letter says.
The letter goes into more specific details about Brimhall’s custody case with his child, including how a judge ordered that Brimhall have no contact with his child who was the victim, while ordering supervised visitation with a child that was not the victim in the criminal case.
“There is simply no way the public can have any confidence in the judicial system or that they will have a fair and impartial hearing with a judge who is serving out his criminal sentence, voluntarily agreed to an order that he would have no contact with one minor child, the victim until certain conditions are met, and is ordered to have supervised visitation with another minor child. Why would we, as a profession, allow him to take a position to pass judgment upon or issue decisions which may affect the lives of other children in our community?”
If Brimhall is allowed to be judge, the letter from the Nadzams asks that he not be allowed to hear:
- Petitions for Orders of Protection
- Juvenile cases including those with the ADHS
- Divorce, Paternity, and Custody cases
- Guardianship cases involving juveniles
- Adoption cases
The letter concludes by concurring with Prosecutor Sonia Hagood’s letter asking that Brimhall not be allowed to hear criminal cases.
“We agree with Mrs. Hagood’s statement that to stay silent on this issue is to be complicit in Mr. Brimhall’s conduct,” the letter says.
The letter was also sent to all judges in the Second Judicial District, the Arkansas Supreme Court chief justice, and the directors of the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission and the Office of Professional Conduct.
Full Letter: 10.8.2024 Letter to Judge Honeycutt Re. Douglas Brimhall
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From the previous article on how he could be removed, these letters just need to be turned into complaints to the state board?
The article similar to this on the Region 8 website had a statement from him saying that he could defend his actions but that would mean revealing things that would not be good for his daughter. Oh BS. She is a child. If she needs behavioral help then it is on you to get her help. Nothing excuses your behavior in this, the adult who decided to solve the problem with a drunken assault, in his boxers.