California Commission issues public admonishment of Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Thomas Adams

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – The Commission on Judicial Performance issued a public admonishment of Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Thomas R. Adams on Tuesday.

The six-member commission is an independent state agency that investigates complaints submitted against a judge in any of California's superior courts as well as the justices of the Court of Appeal and state's Supreme Court under the authority of article VI, section 18 of the California Constitution.

Judge Adams received his public admonishment for his actions during an arraignment hearing where he "became angry, expressed impatience with counsel for the defendant, raised his voice and rose from the bench when addressing counsel, threw off his glasses and pointed at counsel, and flung the moving papers at counsel, causing them to land in front of the podium where counsel stood" detailed Tuesday's admonishment.

Additionally, Judge Adams also had a lack of candor with the Commission and told the oversight group that "he was retiring, that his last day on the bench had already passed, and that he would not be returning to the bench" shared the Commission's report.

Judge Adams did not retire and returned to the bench before the Commission on Judicial Performance had issued Tuesday's findings stated the Commission.

This misconduct was aggravated by prior discipline of the Superior Court Judge.

In June of 2023, the Commission privately admonished Judge Adams for, among other actions, speaking in a way that could be perceived as biased, prejudiced, or harassment, based on sex or gender and for engaging in ex parte communications with a jury foreperson explained the public admonishment.

According to the Commission, in 1993, Judge Adams also received a private admonishment for ordering a pro se family law litigant into custody for two days without a contempt hearing, "an egregious violation of due process".