Juror information is confidential by law. It cannot be used for any purpose other than the official proceedings of the judicial system. This confidentiality provides jurors an environment that is safe when they are making decisions regarding large sums of money, business arrangements and criminal punishment. The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office along with the Montgomery County Attorney has vigorously fought to protect juror confidentiality in previous proceedings, most recently in the 9th District Court.
Earlier this month, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office received complaints from former jurors of the 435th District Court stating that they had received a campaign solicitation letter from Judge Michael Seiler who was running for re-election in the 435th District Court. Their concern was that he had used their confidential juror information for campaign purposes. Based on their complaint, the District Attorney’s Office immediately began to investigate the matter and obtained information that appeared to confirm the jurors’ concerns. Inappropriately obtaining juror information could be charged as the misdemeanor offense of Abuse of Official Capacity.
Judge Michael Seiler has agreed to resign from the bench and withdraw from his race for re-election in lieu of criminal prosecution. Resignation documents will be submitted to the Commission on Judicial Conduct that will prohibit him from seeking judicial office in the future and prevents him from sitting as a visiting judge. He will immediately forgo his salary, benefits and his ability to qualify for a judicial pension. Per our agreement, if he wins the primary or qualifies for a runoff, he will not be able to lawfully proceed and must immediately withdraw.
“Given the need to promptly resolve this in a way that provides voters with clarity regarding Judge Seiler’s conduct, our office has agreed to forgo further investigation and prosecution in exchange for the Judge’s immediate resignation and disqualification from office,” stated District Attorney Brett Ligon. “Moving forward with this investigation and prosecution would have allowed Judge Seiler to linger in office, perhaps with the ability to preside over cases, for at least the remainder of his current term. We believe we have balanced the need for productive trustworthy judges with the need for public accountability and have arrived at the most just resolution of this matter.”
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