Reporters are asking me about a motion to recuse Judge Trey Loftin in the Lipsky case where Range Resources contaminated water in Parker County. I didn’t know about it but it was reported in the Star-Telegram yesterday.
A lot of good people have been hurt in this case, including me. Maybe now things can be made right.
I have never forgotten that there is a family in Parker County who is without safe water. They had safe water for 5 years then Range Resources started to produce gas and shortly afterwards their water went bad.
UPDATE: Additional news reports:
Judge asked to recuse himself from case
Christin Coyne
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That judge Loftin should (as the old story goes) take a long walk on a short pier! ha.
I firmly believe that judges in particular should be held, if not hold themselves, at a higher standard-avoiding even the appearance of impropriety.
In this case, Loftin has not only demonstrated he is a political rookie, but not too well versed in the law, either-or at least not as much as I would expect him to be if he’s going to be a judge.
In my opinion, if Loftin is using what this newspaper and others have ‘reported’ about this case as part of his campaign, and he is, then this also means he is not only in agreement with those remarks/reports, but also forecasting his personal beliefs about them as well. In doing so, by sending out campaign mailers using what others have said or reported about an active case in his court means he has crossed the line of ‘appearance’ of impropriety and ventured well into ‘impropriety’.
The best thing Judge Loftin could for this case, as well as himself, is to recuse himself immediately. If he truly does not have a personal interest in this case, he should step away from it now-he won’t see it through, anyway, so why drag this out any longer?