DALLAS (AP) \u2014 Judges don\u2019t usually hug convicted murderers in the courtroom or hand them Bibles before sending them off to prison.
That is what made Judge Tammy Kemp\u2019s actions so extraordinary in the closing moments of the trial of a white former Dallas police officer who fatally shot her black neighbor.<\/p>\n
The tearful embrace before Amber Guyger was taken away to serve 10 years touched off a debate over whether Kemp \u2014 a black former prosecutor who fasted and prayed before deciding to run for judge in 2014 \u2014 demonstrated admirable compassion or crossed an ethical line. One group asked for a judicial misconduct investigation.<\/p>\n
Activists also questioned whether a black defendant would have received the same treatment, adding a final layer of anger to a high-profile case that touched on issues of race.
\u201cIt\u2019s just her Christian nature,\u201d said former Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins, who was once Kemp\u2019s boss and in 2006 became the first black elected district attorney in Texas history. Kemp, he said, would pray when their office tackled complex cases.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re having people of color that have the opportunity to make judges now,\u201d Watkins said. \u201cTheir life experience and their religious points of view are different than what we\u2019ve seen in the past. That\u2019s just the evolution of our judicial system.\u201d<\/p>\n
In September 2018, Guyger lived one floor below Botham Jean and said she entered his apartment thinking it was hers. Mistaking him for a burglar, she drew her gun and fired. The judge also hugged members of Jean\u2019s family and allowed Jean\u2019s younger brother to hug Guyger.<\/p>\n
But some called Kemp\u2019s actions a step backward. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a secular Wisconsin-based group that routinely files lawsuits challenging religious displays in government, accused her of proselytizing from the bench.<\/p>\n
The group filed a complaint Thursday with a Texas state agency that investigates allegations of judicial misconduct. At the heart of the protest was Kemp giving a Bible \u2014 one of her own \u2014 to Guyger and recommending a verse. Guyger had already been sentenced, and the jury had been dismissed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can have mine. I have three or four more at home,\u201d Kemp said to Guyger. \u201cThis is your job for the next month. Right here, John 3:16.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guyger then rose from the defense table to embrace the black-robed judge. Kemp appeared to hesitate for a moment, then wrapped her arms around the fired police officer.<\/p>\n
As attorneys and sheriff\u2019s deputies looked on, Kemp gently patted Guyger on the back with one hand and appeared to whisper in her ear. The two women held each other for 10 seconds. When they broke apart, a man in a suit standing near Guyger could be seen wiping away tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cDelivering Bibles and personally witnessing as a judge is an egregious abuse of power,\u201d the foundation wrote in a letter to Texas officials. Kemp \u201ctransmitted her personal religious beliefs as a state official in an official proceeding of the gravest nature.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jacqueline Habersham, interim executive director of the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct, said confidentiality rules bar her from discussing any pending complaint or investigation.<\/p>\n
Kemp did not respond to requests for an interview Thursday and has not spoken publicly since the trial ended.<\/p>\n
Kemp took over the 204th District Court after running as a Democrat in her first bid for office in 2014. In a campaign ad in a local magazine called I Messenger, Kemp criticized her opponent as brash and vowed that anyone who came through her courtroom, defendants and victims, would get respect.<\/p>\n
She also pointed to God: \u201cAs a woman of faith with strong Christian values, my husband and I fasted and prayed about my decision to run.\u201d<\/p>\n
Legal experts said it is reasonable to watch Kemp\u2019s actions and raise concerns about any indiscretion. But since the trial was over and the jury was dismissed, they said the propriety of Kemp\u2019s conduct isn\u2019t clear-cut.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want our judges to be human and to show their humanity,\u201d said Renee Knake, a law professor at the University of Houston and expert in judicial ethics. \u201cThat\u2019s why our cases are decided by human beings and not machines.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"