Judge Jame Earl Towery #74058
Admitted to the bar July 1977
An exhaustive, 57-page motion to disqualify controversial Santa Clara County Judge James Towery recently was filed in a family law dissolution case. A court whistleblower provided a copy of the filing to Commission on Judicial Performance Report. The motion is embedded at the end of this post.
The motion includes allegations that Towery engaged in multiple violations of the California Code of Judicial Ethics, and conveyed gender and other forms of bias against Susan Bassi, the respondent in the divorce case. Court whistleblowers assert and have documented that flagrant gender bias against divorcing wives who helped start or run family businesses is common in the Silicon Valley family court system.
Towery has generated controversy throughout his career in government, including a tumultuous stint as president of the State Bar of California Board of Trustees from 1995-1996, and an unexpectedly abbreviated 10-month term as state bar chief trial counsel, 2010-2011.
Over the objections of local court watchdogs, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Towery to the Santa Clara County Superior Court bench in 2012. Prior to his appointment, Towery held an “of counsel” position at Rossi, Hamerslough, Reischl & Chuck in 2011-2012, and from 1989-2010 had partner status at Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel, Inc. The judge graduated from Emory University School of Law in 1977.
Court insiders and whistleblowers alerted Jane & John Q Public to the Santa Clara County Bar Association’s annual holiday luncheon. Court staffers complained the event was coordinated in part by Judge James Towery, who was reported to have employed favoritism and cronyism when he excluded lawyers, court staff and members of the Santa Clara County Sherriff’s department from the family law event. The Santa Clara County Bar Association also advertised that Towery would coordinate invitations for court staff using a personal Gmail account,
What makes this holiday luncheon newsworthy is what happened when hundreds of Santa Clara County Judges, Lawyers and Court Staffers joined together and sang songs that appeared to mock pro per litigants, and gloat over excessive fees Santa Clara County Judges routinely award a select few of “in” crowd family lawyers.
Just prior to the luncheon, it was reported to Q, that Judge Towery had denied the requests of two mothers appearing before him in family court divorce and custody cases, in what appears to be Towery’s continued gender and socioeconomically biased rulings that have plagued his family court bench since he was run out of the State Bar for ethics violations.
One request, Towery was quick to deny, was made by a mother seeking to protect her child from being subjected to overnight visits with the child’s father, Ray Mc Donald, former 49er who is facing multiple criminal charges for sexual assault and violation of domestic violence restraining orders. A case being covered by Jane and John Q reporters and members.
NEWS STORIES
Disqualification Motion Allegations Include Serial Code of Judicial Ethics Violations Against Judge James Towery
James Towery resigning as state bar chief trial counsel
Family Court Judge James Towery Sexually Harrasses Women?
Sting on Family Court: Judges & Lawyers Songs & Flyers Mock Litigants, Counsel Herrick Threatens Jane & John Q Public
James E Towery appointed to head discipline system
Misconduct by Judge E. Towery on Facebook
CA Gov. Brown announces appoinments to California Court Posts and County Superior Courts Nov. 21, 2012
DOCUMENTS
by James E. Towery President, 1995-96
Jim Towery ( Judge Towery of Santa Clara County Family Courts in Sunnyvale) Email 08
VIDEOS
Racketeering, Fraud on the Court, Fee Churning Allegations Against Divorce Attorney Brad Baugh
Santa Clara County Superior Court Holiday Party with Divorce Attorneys, Judges, and Court Employees
Media Sting: Judges and Lawyers Caught at Holiday Sing – Public Outraged
RATINGS
It appears from the reviews this is yet another DIS-honorable Judge who has no business on any bench
