I think the U.S. Justice Department may have set a record today. On Monday, I filed Freedom of Information Act requests with the U.S. Marshals Service for information about scandal-ridden U.S. District Judge Walter S. Smith, Jr. of Waco, Texas. Normally, DOJ takes months or even years to respond to a FOIA request but today, less than 48 hours after submission, I received a letter denying all of my requests across the board. Meanwhile, Congressman Bill Flores seems to have lost all interest in Judge Smith’s misconduct now that his primary election is over (more on that below).
My sources in Waco tell me that Judge Smith is a hot mess these days (even more so than usual), and his behavior leads them to believe that he has started drinking again. You may recall that Judge Edith Jones, formerly the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals, gave Judge Smith an ultimatum several years ago to enter rehab or face suspension. In December, the Fifth Circuit reprimanded him for groping a female deputy clerk in his chambers (apparently while he was drunk). In February, I wrote about evidence that Judge Smith illegally accepted free services from Greg White, a Waco attorney who had several cases pending in front of Judge Smith.
I am aware of many other alleged incidents of misconduct involving Judge Smith, and my FOIA letter included six separate requests: … Read more