Female Las Vegas judge, 52, is punished over sleazy hot tub Facebook post and moaning about having to work the day after a Billie Eilish concert
A Las Vegas judge has been publicly censured and must take a course on judicial ethics after posting photos of herself in a hot tub with public defenders.
Clark County District Court Judge Erika Ballou, 52, admitted that she violated ethics in an agreement and order of censure with the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline.
The commission had filed a statement of charges against Ballou earlier this year which centered around social media posts.
Ballou shared an image on her Facebook of herself in a hot tub with two public defenders, with a caption saying that one of them was 'surrounded by great t*ts'.
The picture showed her in a bathing suit alongside Shana Brouwers and Robson Hauser, with the latter shirtless and smiling for the camera.
Clark County District Court Judge Erika Ballou admitted that she violated ethics in an agreement and order of censure with the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline
The picture showed her in a bathing suit alongside Shana Brouwers and Robson Hauser, with the latter shirtless and smiling for the camera
A complaint was also filed for a second post she made where she seemingly complained about working the next day after a Billie Eilish concert.
The post said: 'Life is STILL beautiful, despite the fact that Billie Eilish doesn't start for 30 minutes and I have an 8:30 calendar tomorrow.'
It also included the hashtag, 'Vacatethe[Explitive]OuttaOutofCustodyCases', suggesting defendants who are not in custody should have their cases tossed.
The commission said that Ballou had violated their rules requiring a judge to promote public confidence and avoid impropriety, which she admitted to.
After Ballou agreed to the censure, the commission decided not to pursue her over a post including lyrics to a Cardi B song in response to the complaint her posts.
In the order filed on Tuesday, Ballou said the posts were intended to be private and did not influence her work.
Another count was also raised about comments she had made during a hearing about police in July 2022.
The Las Vegas Police Protective Association called for her to resign after she made comments about officers.
Ballou shared an image on her Facebook of herself in a hot tub with two public defenders, with a caption saying that one of them was 'surrounded by great t*ts'
At the time, she said: 'You’re the one making the decisions not to walk away from cops.
'You’re a Black man in America. You know you don’t want to be nowhere where cops are.
'You know you don’t want to be nowhere where cops are cause I know I don’t, and I’m a middle-aged, middle-class Black woman.
'I don’t want to be around where the cops are because I don’t know if I’m going to walk away alive or not.'
DA Steve Wolfson said on Thursday that the censure supports his position that Ballou should be recused from overseeing criminal cases involving cases.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that a judge denied the DA's petition last week, finding that only the chief judge has the power to recuse her.
The commission said that Ballou had violated their rules requiring a judge to promote public confidence and avoid impropriety, which she admitted to
A complaint was also filed for a second post she made where she seemingly complained about working the next day after a Billie Eilish concert
The outlet reported that Wolfson has since filed a new petition in another of Ballou's criminal cases.
Ballou earns over $155,000 a year - although her total pay and benefits hit just under $262,000 according to Transparent Nevada, which tracks public workers' salaries.
She was elected to bench in November 2020, taking her position in January 2021, and previously served as a Deputy Public Defender for 15 years.
Before stepping up as a Judge, Ballou was also a social justice organizer and member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
She found herself in hot water after she refused to remove a 'Black Lives Matter' pin in court in September 2016, while still working as a deputy public defender.
