Alabama judge who sent anonymous letters to news outlets criticizing public officials is suspended

An Alabama judge has been suspended for an incident back in 2020 where he sent an anonymous letter to news outlets and others regarding the behavior of several local officials, Alabama Now reports.

Blount County Circuit Judge Steven D. King also mailed packages that contained a recording of a county commissioner using a racial slur. The Alabama Court of the Judiciary, which hears ethics complaints against judges and has the power to sanction judges or remove them, will now take up the matter.

"The letters questioned the fitness for office of a police officer and two county commissioners, according to the filed complaint," Alabama Now's report states. "The packages included civil case filings and an audio recording of a conversation between the officer and Commissioner Dean Calvert in which Calvert can be heard using a racial slur. The recording was part of a divorce case."

King later called for Calvert to resign based on the contents of the anonymous package he sent, according to the complaint against him.

“Although the conversation and comments captured in the recordings are reprehensible and offensive, Judge King’s conduct of authorizing the anonymous letter, compiling the pleadings … constitutes impropriety, or creates the appearance thereof, and is inappropriate for one that holds judicial office,” the complaint said.