Melton declined to discuss his investigation with the Observer, but a copy of the judgment in the case raises questions about Prewitt's story.
At the bottom of the judgment, a large "X" appears in a box indicating that on January 21, 1998, defendant Marcia Prewitt personally asked Judge Prewitt that the case be reset for trial. That X is crossed out, and another X is marked next to the word "Counsel," indicating that the request was made by the defendant's attorney, who was identified by a city account number.
The account number belongs to Dallas lawyer Michelle Smith, according to city records. When contacted by the Observer last week, Smith says she doesn't know why her account number showed up on the judgment because she didn't represent Marcia Prewitt.
At the top of the judgment, Marcia Prewitt's name also is clearly legible. Even though there is only one Marcia Prewitt listed in the Dallas telephone directory, Judge Prewitt maintains that she didn't notice the name.
"The number of cases coming before me for various rulings are so great," Prewitt wrote to the council, "that I concentrate on the case status and history as well as the law applicable usually without regard to the particular defendant."
As part of his investigation, however, Melton concluded that Prewitt "should have been reasonably aware of the identity of the defendant."
Why the Judicial Nominating Commission chose to recommend Prewitt's reappointment--even though its members were aware of Melton's findings and had discussed the issue with Prewitt behind closed doors--is a question that remains unanswered.
Commission chairman Stanley Mays refused to provide any explanation for the decisions involving Prewitt or Gonzales. Other commission members contacted by the Observer also declined to comment on the closed-door discussions.
In fact, it was almost by accident that city council members even learned of Prewitt's behavior. The council members were given a thick packet of information about judicial reappointments before the May 12 meeting of the Municipal and Minority Affairs Committee.
While the subject of Gonzales' pay dispute was clearly highlighted, Melton's report on Prewitt's was discreetly placed in the back of the packet. The memo went unnoticed until the word "confidential," which was stamped on its front, caught Blumer's attention.
"That hit me right between the eyes. I thought I could in no way support the reappointment," Blumer says. "It blows me away that the commission went ahead and recommended her in light of the way they went after Gonzales."
Loza adds that he doesn't believe Prewitt is telling the full truth about how she handled her daughter-in-law's speeding ticket.
"It's not so much that I think it's completely implausible that things happened the way she suggested," Loza says. "The problem was, she claimed there was no mistake made, and she was willing to do it again. It's reflective of an arrogance in her attitude."
In the wake of Prewitt's departure, council members will have to decide Gonzales' reappointment on the merits of his case alone.
"Since there was no judiciary malfeasance, I would hate to put a mark on a man's record just because of some technicality," says Lipscomb, who has changed his position on the matter. "If somebody's out there ripping off money, or has got their hand in the till, I could see it. To me, it's too easy to be ruined with a stroke of the pen."
In her one-page resignation letter, Prewitt did not admit to any wrongdoing. Instead, she thanked city officials for giving her the chance to serve the residents of Dallas and explained that a "medical situation" with her daughter is consuming the majority of her time.
"This trust and confidence you have placed in me over the years has been a humbling yet life-enriching experience," Prewitt wrote. "I will not forget the pleasure I have had working with the people of our City and will always have a place in my heart for my colleagues on the Dallas Municipal Court Bench.
