How many times is Tarrant County juvenile court judge going to show his bad judgment?
Judge Alex Kim is back in the news.
And if you’re familiar at all with the Tarrant County 323rd Family District Court judge, you can guess it’s not for a wise, considered decision.
In a recent online court hearing, Kim told the mother of a Black teenager accused of possessing a gun and being in a stolen car that the boy’s trouble was predictable because he is into rap music.
Kim referred to “rap culture” and said the teen wouldn’t have gotten into that fix if he were in a church choir instead. The teen’s mother carefully pushed back, noting that while she didn’t know the content of her son’s music, there are gospel rappers.
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And that’s the problem with Kim’s comment. It’s ignorant to suggest that a kid who likes to rap is automatically headed toward criminal behavior. It’s a lazy stereotype, and a judge charged with shepherding the rehabilitation of youth can’t lean on such generalities.
Kim compounded the error by responding to a reporter’s question about a stereotype that plenty of people see as racist with the comment: “Stop Asian hate.” It was either a dumb joke or an attempt to suggest he’s immune from criticism on the rap comment because of his race. Either way, he trivialized a grave issue, the increase of hate-fueled attacks on Asian-Americans.
If Kim’s behavior in this case were a lapse, a thoughtless moment, it would be an online embarrassment that quickly fades. But over and over again, Kim is showing us that his judgment is flawed.
In late 2019, Kim, a first-term Republican, tried to freeze out specially trained child-advocates who represent the interests of children in serious abuse and neglect cases. County judges eventually decided to remove Child Protective Services cases from Kim’s court, where they had been primarily handled for years.
That followed criticism of Kim for partly blaming a sex trafficking victim’s troubles on her own behavior, along with his removal from the case of a critically ill infant after accusations of bias.
And of course, there was the infamous late-night poker game in his chambers, an inappropriate use of a public facility that came complete with cigar smoking that violated county policy.
It’s quite a record for not even two and a half years on the bench.
It should go without saying, but judges can’t display bias against a juvenile offender based on a racial stereotype. Juvenile justice has to focus on rehabilitation, and anything that suggests Black children, or those of any race, can’t get a fair shake in court hurts that goal.
So does a judge who consistently shows he lacks the temperament and decision-making skills needed for the job.