HollyMatkinHouston, TX – A Harris County judge has stepped down from the bench, amid allegations of drug use, encounters with prostitutes, and sexting while in court.
Harris County Justice of the Peace Hilary Green formally resigned from her position on Mar. 27, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett’s office confirmed, according to KTRK.
Green, who had been on the bench since 2007, was suspended without pay by the Texas Supreme Court in July of 2017, at the recommendation of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, according to the Houston Press.
She admitted to having a dependence on Tussionex cough syrup, which she said she began using in 2009 as a sleep aid. Green said she went “doctor shopping” to obtain prescriptions, but said she also purchased the drug illegally from her then-boyfriend, Claude Barnes.
Green, who was married to former city councilman Ronald Green at the time, said she and Barnes had an affair from 2009 until 2015. She said Barnes provided her with ecstasy and marijuana on occasion between 2009 and 2014.
The commission also discovered that Green sexted a courtroom bailiff from October of 2013 until April of 2014, and that she provided him with $500 to purchase Tussionex for her.
In a sworn affidavit, Barnes alleged that he and Green utilized Backpage.com to hire female prostitutes on two occasions – once in Houston, and once in Austin – claims which Green denied.
During their 2015 divorce proceedings, Green’s husband accused her of being a “longtime drug addict,” the Houston Chronicle reported.
He noted that she abused prescription pills, drove while under the influence, and “operates daily with impaired judgment as evidenced by her presiding over cases in which she has ongoing sexual relationships with litigants and witnesses.”
According to KTRK, Green was scheduled to go to trial in April to determine her future as a judge.
In her letter of resignation, Green cited her father’s death and her mother’s recently diagnosed illnesses as being the causes of her decision to leave the bench.
“It is important for me to focus all my attention on my family,” she wrote.
Green’s attorney, Chip Babcock, claimed that the claims against her had nothing to do with her decision to resign, the Houston Chronicle reported.
“It is totally unrelated to the charges which she continues to deny and contest,” he told the paper on Mar. 29. “”She was looking at years of additional litigation. It’s sad because all these allegations that her husband and former boyfriend leveled against her were known by the voters when they re-elected her by an overwhelming majority.”
County commissioners are expected to appoint a replacement to serve in Green’s now-vacant position until November, when a new judge will be elected.