Judicial Panel: Judge Hartsfield Should be Suspended

FORSYTH COUNTY, NC (WGHP) — Forsyth District Judge Denise Hartsfield should be suspended for violating judicial ethics in giving favorable judgments without hearing evidence on traffic citations from friends and members of her church, the N.C. Judicial Standards Commission recommended.

The commission found that Hartsfield, who has been a district court judge since 2002, improperly entered judgments in at least 82 cases, according to an order filed Sept. 23. The recommendation comes about two weeks after the commission held a hearing in Raleigh.