Judge was a policymaking employee subject to patronage termination, 5th Circuit rules
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A family court judge in Texas, who refused to support a favored judicial candidate, was a policymaking and confidential employee who wasn’t eligible for First Amendment protection from firing, a federal appeals court has ruled.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New Orleans ruled Monday against Judge Diane Haddock, who was one of seven associate judges in Tarrant County, Texas, appointed by the county’s elected district judges. Judge Edith Brown Clement, a nominee of former President George W. Bush, wrote the decision.