A Texas decide who was caught belittling an IT employee in a now-viral video has ordered an lawyer who demanded he apologize over his conduct to look in court docket.
Legal professional James Stafford recalled seeing Harris County Decide Nathan Milliron’s outburst on Reddit, the place the Justice of the Peace talked down a technician who had helped him with a pc challenge, in response to the pair’s e-mail trade obtained by Houston Public Media.
“I hope you issued him an apology for the way in which you handled him,” Stafford wrote. “I hope you have been simply having a nasty day and this isn’t your typical judicial temperament. Have an incredible weekend.”
In response, Milliron accused the lawyer of “ex parte” communication and ordered him to look earlier than him in court docket. Ex parte communication happens when one celebration in a authorized continuing contacts a decide with out the opposite events’ data, in response to the outlet.
“You in all probability shouldn’t be speaking with a Decide, ex parte, on his judicial e-mail deal with,” Milliron wrote. “As an officer of this Court docket, you might be ORDERED to look earlier than this Court docket on April 10, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. to debate additional.”
The lawyer fired again in a follow-up e-mail, arguing he had “no instances in your Court docket, thus this isn’t ex parte however merely a voter exercising one’s freedom of speech regarding what some would think about offensive decorum in your courtroom.”
Stafford informed ABC13 he won’t seem earlier than Milliron — insisting his e-mail calling out the decide’s conduct doesn’t qualify as ex parte.
Milliron landed in scorching water earlier this week after a viral video confirmed him shedding his cool on an IT staffer who was making an attempt to assist him repair an audio downside in his courtroom.
When the employee knowledgeable him the problem had been resolved, Milliron grew to become visibly irritated after the staffer referred to the issue as a “false alarm.”
In an try and lighten the temper, the IT technician known as it a “false damaging,” prompting Milliron to curtly thank him earlier than ordering him out of the courtroom.
After the technician left, Milliron ordered somebody off digital camera to “discover his supervisor.”
“Jesus Christ. I’m sick and bored with this bulls–t at present,” he mentioned within the viral clip.
As the primary video continued to make rounds on-line, a second clip emerged Tuesday displaying Milliron shedding his mood with a protection lawyer mid-hearing in one other tense courtroom trade.
Within the clip, shared on X, Milliron cuts off the lawyer mid-explanation, telling her she’s “losing [his] time this morning.”
The lawyer pushes again, arguing there’s an overlapping challenge within the case, however Milliron shuts her down and denies the movement outright.
As she makes an attempt to make her case, Milliron instructs his deputy to take away her from the courtroom — then threatens to have her “cuffed.”
“Jesus Christ, these folks at present,” he shouts as she steps again and out of view of the digital camera.
“Step away! You’re about to be cuffed!” he shouts whereas pointing on the lawyer.
Milliron has served on the bench within the 215th District Court docket since January 2025, ABC13 reported.
Whereas his conduct sparked a storm of backlash, his standing as an elected decide shields Milliron from disciplinary motion by native court docket directors.
Decide Rabeea Collier, the civil court docket’s administrative decide, launched an announcement to the outlet Monday saying the court docket is conscious of the video.
Collier added that the “Civil Trial Division is dedicated to sustaining a office grounded in respect and to upholding the integrity of the judicial course of.”
