Central Valley Judge Removed For Violating Judicial Ethics

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California judicial disciplinary commission has ordered a Tulare County Superior Court judge removed from the bench for deceitful misconduct.

The Commission on Judicial Performance said Tuesday that Judge Valeriano Saucedo wrote an anonymous letter accusing his court clerk of an affair in his effort to strike up a personal relationship with her.

The judge showered the clerk with gifts, including a BMW and a Disneyland trip.

The commission says Saucedo's misconduct was deceitful, calculated and unseemly and he needed to be taken off the bench to maintain the integrity of the judiciary.

The commission dismissed Saucedo's request for a public censure and says he lied and didn't take responsibility for his actions.

He is the first judge in three years to be removed from office by the commission.

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