Bully on the Bench

This article was trully amazing. What IS going on down there in Waxahacie? People please vote someone else in next time. What a Tyrant.

I was called for jury duty in Judge Knize's courtroom. Being new to the county I had not heard anything about him before, but the way he acted during jury selection made my jerk-detector antennae go up!

not very far from ellis county, there is a beautiful johnson county-same bull shit-just diffrent name. a capricious and stupid judge bosworth presiding in the 413th district-a real disappointment to ft-worth and dallas lawyers. the only diffrence is-he does not know the law which makes him dangerous.

I've lived in Ellis county for a long ol' time, and this just ain't a true picture of Knize. I suspect it's our usual small group of flying monkey flat earthers who go round stirring up trouble who're agitating about this. One of their runnin' buddies was convicted of getting some poor kids drunk and when they passed out, raping them. Knize handed down the guilty verdict, and they won't forgive him for taking there pervert pal off the streets. These same people are at odds with every judge, JP, and law officer in the county. By the way, some of these flying monkeys were named in the article. They're the real problem.

Check it out this blog, it'll explain a lot. Read the comments. If your a feminist, be warned.http://elliscountyobserver.blogspot.com/

As a former Waxahachie Daily Light reporter (1998-99), I'm embarrassed by my former editor's support of this dictatorial crazy man known as Judge Knize. The Ellis County Observer is doing a spot-on job keeping me up-to-date on goings-on down there in good ol' Ellis County. Some good folks down there. Knize ain't one of them.

To Burton:The cleaners called and said your sheets were ready.What time is the rally?

You'd think Judges would have to go through some sort of psychological testing (and pass) before they were considered qualified to run for such an influential and powerful position. It seems absurd that we would vote in people (demi-gods if you will) who bring all their personal ISSUES to the bench and transfer them on to defendents, defendent attorneys and juries thus affecting the lives of so many people. Judges - determining if defendents are worthy to participate in our society and without even allowing in the facts or "evidence". What kind of agenda is that?

Burton - you really should put the crack pipe down, your delusional. I was born, raised, graduated high school and lived in 'Hatchie for a good 'ole while too & there are very few more crooked and unethical than Knize. Grubbs is a "hanger-on" just like he's always been. Small town politics at its finest.

Great to see this article! I've been anxiously awaiting it. Good on ya Finn for standing your ground, and at least this time, sending a clear message to Knize. He swore in to be fair & impartial - not the arrogant ass that he is.

This story should be mandatory reading for all Ellis County voters.

Bad judges are not a rarity in Texas. I've been reading a horrible story about Dallas Judge Marilea Lewis. "How Crazy Is This" on Dig Deeper Texas describes some very ugly things going on in her court. http://digdeepertexas.com/?p=310 Judge Marilea Lewis's antics are shameful and she and Judge Knize need to be removed from the bench. Average citizens don't know what goes on in the courtrooms, but it would be wise to take the time to check out the negative actions of these judges before voting for them again. We need new laws that force judges to be accountable for their actions like the rest of us. Judges do not deserve immunity when they dare to commit crimes against innocent people. What ever happened to checks and balances? Where are the governing bodies that are supposed to watch judges? Do they do anything when a judge commits wrongful acts? Doesn't anyone care when judges hurt innocent people? "Injustice for one is injustice for all."

This article is a minute portion of the miscarriage of justice in Ellis County. For Knize to be wielding such power in some cases and then stating to victims that he is absolutely powerless in other cases is rediculous. "I'm just a referee." And man, that statement about O.J. making jurors useless is a story also told by the Ellis County District Attorney Joe Grubbs. That and Jon Bonet, Michael Jackson. They lay on what ever pressure they can to make victims take a plea deal in favor of the criminal. These people play games with justice and victims' lives. Patrick Wilson made the statement that he had just pled out the rape of a 4 year old by her father to 10 years probation. Also a teenager who was raped by some baseball players backed out of prosecuting the offenders. She was probably threatened that "everyone and everything would come out of the woodwork." It's appauling!!!

I can't speak to any of the other cases mentioned in your article “Bully on the Bench”, but I can comment on the trial that attorney Dan Altman cited because I was the opposing party. Do me a favor - go back and ask Mr. Altman just when the widow's husband died & when she bought the property that she let fall into disrepair. While you're at it, ask him if her property's disrepair damaged anyone else's property/business when it fell. You might also ask him if he continued to practice law in Ellis County during his 9 day suspension after he was aware of the problem.

If you get accurate answers to those questions, you might see why the case went our way instead of his and why his suspension was reported in the Waxahachie Daily Light. You might even come to the conclusion, on our case anyway, that Judge Gene Knize was right.

I don't know who Burton is, but I can guarantee he's one of the uneducated masses that keep electing these officials. If he's referencing Robert Trevino as the one who was 'taken off the streets', he neither attended the trial of 4 days, nor has he read the transcripts of that dastardly deed. Robert Trevino was a VietNam war hero, I know I was there and to even believe he would do what was described in a "court of law" is unbelieveable. I probably know more about the conspiracy to ramrod Robert into prison than anyone on this earth beside Robert and his sister Gloria. Robert was a "political activist" who called the City of Waxahachie and Ellis County officials to task on several items. The city manager of Waxahachie was charged with threatening Robert and a kangaroo court dismissed Robert's charges. Knize and Grubbs have been playing musical chairs in the county for nearly a quarter of a century. Look for Grubbs to be appointed District Judge when Knize retires, or resigns because of pressures like the Dallas Observer and Ellis County Observer are putting on him. If you don't believe Knize runs his court like a dictator, take the time to sit in on one of the cases before him. You'll puke!! And Mr. Burton or whoever, take your head out of the sand, use your full name, and save your money.

I agree with Cloud Hunter's response to your story regarding Judge Knize in Waxahachie. Judge Knize may be blunt at times and may have been wrong in the case with Mr Finn, but he is not the bully you attempt to make him out to be.

The way to get back at Judge Knize is with your vote. Not only are there unjust judges in the system, but unjust psychological evaluators, therapist and attorneys. File formal complaints to the boards governing the licenses and actions of these players. Forms are availlable on the Internet. For example, for psychologists, check out http://www.tsbep.state.tx.us/complaint.html MEM

I have seen Judge Knize in action and I think this article is a VERY BAD portrayal of him. Judge Knize, very stern at times, has always been fair and unbias. He may not have the warmest of personalities, but to call him a bully is totally unfair.

Dear C.W. - Knize is ALWAYS fair and unbiased??? Tell us, is Knize you daddy?

Fred Shannon.
The "uneducated masses" who re-elect Knize are the good people of Ellis County who are smart enough to know a decent judge when they see one. Conversely, they know a rotter when they see one too; and that's why Joey's boy lost, lost, lost.

What the article failed to mention was Joey's great and good buddy Trevino, getting kids drunk and then raping them when they passed out. A jury with policemen, firefighters and a teacher, among others, convicted the guy. The Judge (Knize) sent the creep to jail. The jury found him guilty, but it's so much easier to blame the judge, and whine that the guy didn’t get a fair trial, especially if you can get a nearby paper (who's writers know nothing of the background) to do some hatchet work on a decent man. Members of the jury have stated on a local blog, that the trial was kosher, which is more than you can say for Joey.

I strongly suspect that most of these anti Knize posters are Joeyboy and the small group of malcontents who are drawn to his dubious charms. They’d love to replace Knize with one of their own, like their friend the new county court at law judge Greg Wilheim, who graduated from a 4th tier law school run by Pat Robertson. Yes indeed, let’s turn Ellis County in to a tinhorn theocracy and put Joey and his friends in charge. Thanks for all the help you gave, Dallas Observer. You really screwed the pooch this time.

I've sat in on numerous proceedings of this judge knize myself. It seems to me that anyone accused of a crime has absolutely no chance of a fair trial unless the accused hires an out-of town lawyer who is "Not Afraid" of this knize, like Mr. David Finn. But what about the people who can't afford to hire an out-of-town lawyer? they are represented by an appointed lawyer that is so terrified of knize to effectively help their client!People, we have to stop complaining to each other about this Knize, and come together and do something about this! Democracy has NO room for Dictatorship! Knize's actions remind me So Much of Adolf Hitler!!!!"Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Margaret Mead

Why do bad judges remain on the bench?
Why are people afraid of them?
Judges are not above the Constitution, nor are they above the Judicial Canons which they have sworn to uphold.

Get their arses into Federal Court!

This can and has been done before.
http://www.hope4kidz.org/stories/briana/bully.html
http://www.hope4kidz.org/stories/briana/07192001_JBA_Damiani.pdf

I was on jury duty in Knize's courtroom. He is one of the rudest people I have ever encountered. He appeared overwhelmingly biased in favor of the prosecution. I'm glad to know he is 65 years old. Maybe he will realize it's time to pack up and go to the house. I sure hope he does!

How about printing the pictures of the two vicitms of Mr. Williams that David Finn is representing? Or is this paper just for people who have nothing better to do than second guess everyone else. You know that the two people killed by Mr. Williams had a life and family too. What about them? How about showing the pictures of the young man who had just got married the weekend before? How about the mother who's child had just graduated high school and another child in college. Do these people not matter????

Apparently NOT!!!!!

Mr. Williams was offered 6 months jail time from which he will get to return to his family and his life. What about the victims who are not coming back, EVER!!!!!!!
I understand the wife of the young man was just 18 years old. How was her life destroyed, yet all Mr. Finn is worried about is "his client's life is on the line".

WHAT ABOUT THE VICTIMS!!!!!!!!

Regarding Judge Gene Knize, Criminal Judge in Waxahachie, Texas and your Cronies! I am so sorry Glenna didn't receive more attention on an excellent, true article! This man is full of corruption, with plenty to spare and he does to the likes of Joe Grubbs, Tom Pavoldi, and that's just a beginning. Because of his corruption, this family has suffered for eighteen years. I would love to face him with the evidence I have; Forged Documents, error upon error, and my favorite, he sent my innocent brother to prison for twenty years, having done over 2/3's of his Probation. Yes, he sent Birthday cards for seven years and was behind on final fees, I paid and they got more out of me! But, my favorite is where he added the (P) on his Conditions of Probation, where there was no (P). I have the doc, papers and such you allowed me, but my question is, where are the rest? I am sick of 2 of 3 & 3 of four. Twice in your Court for the same thing, word for word, but I found you failed to Admonish him. Did you also come up with a bogus Conditions of Probation, because there is no (P). You forced him to register in 93 & 95 when the law did not require it? You forced him into signing new Amended Conditions, but not in the Courts! I know why you got rid of him. Because, we have so much on you and
your Cronies, you had to get rid of him to keep him quiet! You obviously are not aware that some famlies stick it out and fight your own laws! My name is not new to you. If you are so untouchable and tough, why won't you talk to me or allow Grubbs? We both know why! You fall asleep in court, play on your PC and often turn your back on the trial & then excuse a jury that the Prosecutor and Defense are pleased with, for no given reason. You refuse to use a microphone, perhaps why some jurrors have come forth. You bragg about wanting "Pleas," and not a trial. Well, you have pulled this too often. Not to mention the DR. that rapped those poor women, that you swept under the carpet. I am here to tell you, your days are numbered and then your Cronies will not be there for you!
I got one of many e-mails and phone calls, one warned me, "If you are not one of his, Cronies, I will end up in prison!" I don't fear you! I can say what I like because I have the documents and papers to back me. And, by the way, the originals are not kept in my home! I am counting the days. I have to forgive you all, but that's not forgetting what you have done to this family. We have lost four members of our family, but we are still large and raised with Christian values and God hates injustice too! Remember that. Also, I understand that Glenna has been told to "Back off," and that the FBI, recall 1995 & 96? I am furios that the FBI is afraid of you. As I said, I am not and I'm going over your corrupt head in a big way!

This 'judge' is a disgrace to his family, to his community, and to society as a whole. I had the misfortune of seeing him in action in 2003, when he was part of a conspiracy to send my son to prison for 5 years on a trumped-up charge, an illegal search warrant, a corrupt DA, and this misfit's decision. A disgruntled neighbor, whose father-in-law just happened to be a Midlothian detective, had a JP issue a search warrant for his arrest, although such search warrants, by Texas law, must be issued by a judge, not a JP. Using this bogus search warrant, which charged that he was seen by a Confidential Informant (the neighbor) photographing a girl who 'appeared to be nude and under 18', he was jailed, and his computers, cell phone, CDs, videotapes, and everything else electronic was seized. The most preposterous part of the ordeal was the fact that this miserable excuse for a judge set my son’s bail at $300,000, more than the bail for OJ in his murder case, and probably higher than any bail for any murderer in Texas. For what reason? The judge said that he was 'a flight risk'. My son owned 25 acres of land in Midlothian, and was in the process of developing the property into a residential subdivision (the reason for his neighbor's animosity), and he was a FLIGHT RISK! Give me a break.

I attended a bond reduction hearing, and this miserable judge treated everyone, including his bailiff, like they were so much horse manure. Never in my life have I ever witnessed a more bitter excuse for a human being. He must have been bullied in his childhood, not brought any toys by Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, and the Easter bunny. He has tremendous scorn for the world as a whole and for the people who are brought into his court in particular, and he should be disbarred, disrobed, and incarcerated himself for the way he misrepresents his station. But, on the contrary, he has everyone in the county scared stiff of him.

However, back to the $300,000 bail for a charge of taking photographs of a nude child, which, by the way, in itself is not in violation of any Texas laws. There has to have been some reason for him to have set the bail that high, and the only thing that I can think of was that he was afraid that my son would have been able to defend himself better if he had been allowed a lower, affordable bond.

In the end, the Ellis County authorities could find nothing on any of his electronics to support the charges in the bogus warrant, which, for good reason has never been filed in the Ellis County Clerk of Courts Office as the law requires. But, they did claim to have found other images that they claimed were child pornography and that my son had knowingly obtained, totally independent from any of the charges on the search warrant. We spent $17,000 on the noted attorney Mark Griffith, and the best he could do was agree with this miserable judge on a plea bargain of a 5 year prison sentence, without parole, for my son. The judge convinced them that, if they did not agree to his ridiculous 'bargain', that he would make sure that my son was sentenced to much more than 5 years.

All this simply because this rotten judge was not capable of seeing that the search warrant was illegal, or that he wasn't capable of recognizing the political implications of the arrest, or that he was so callous as to set such a high bond for such a charge as that placed on my son. Or, all of the above. Or, maybe he WAS capable of all this, but didn't really care that much about justice.

But, he got the voters' attention. Gonna clear this place of sex offenders, even if we have to manufacture some. Well, I just hope that the good Lord is watching this miserable wretch, and that He, in his omnipotence, will see fit to exact some REAL justice on this poor excuse for a human being.

'Take it to Waco, indeed'. If you expect to get a proper trial from this misanthrope, you had better heed his warning.

For the latest on Judge Knize's actions in Texas v. Nathan Kniatt, see:http://dallascriminaldefenselawyer.blogspot.com/2007/12/judge-knize-redux.html

This man sounds more criminal than those he is to sit in judgement of . This is a travisity : possibly a bigger injustice than any on trial before him could commit ,as faith put in our judicial system is sorely misplaced when hearing of the actions of this self-absorbed so-called man .

This article has all the footprints of Democrats. Judge Knize is a fair and good Judge. Is Altman going to run again? Is this the first shot? Shame on you. Judge Knize has heard hundreds of cases on the bench, is this all you got?

How is it that Republicans can support ANY person simply because they are also Republicans. I don't understand this. If your are faced with blatant evidence of corruption and abuse why can't you say it is corruption and abuse. Judge Marilea Lewis and Joseph Amberson in Dallas Texas have blatantly abused a little boy by enabling his sex abusing father. Would you support them because they are Republican?

This article is so true, We had to go in front of this judge and our case was proven for us. he would not accept anything our attorney brought to the bench as proof and even though the prosecutor had no evidence knize still was in favor for the prosecution, does'nt the color of law have any jurisdiction concerning this man ? Has anyone taken the time to file a complaint with the FBI ?

I've served on two juries in Judge Knize's court, one a capital murder trial and another intoxication manslaughter trial. In both cases, I felt that Knize was fair to both the prosecution and defense, and that he was highly professional. Yes, he can be a bit cranky when lawyers try to muddle proceedings with "lawyer tricks" such as endless repetition and unrelated testimony, but there's nothing in the Texas Criminal Code that says a judge has to subject a jury to such tomfoolery in the first place. I was grateful that Knize moved both of these trials along as quickly as possible, without compromising the law or the parties' rights.

As to his demeanor in court, Knize does tend to appear as though he's not paying attention, but the jury knows better - he's following testimony on a computer monitor as it's entered by the court reporter, and when it's necessary he can recite entire segments of testimony almost verbatim without even looking at the text. The fact that he "looks disinterested" isn't improper in itself; it's simply an observation made by someone who doesn't understand what's going on. It's not a judge's job to determine whether the witnesses are telling the truth, so it's absolutely unnecessary for him to watch them as they testify - a judge only rules on the actions of the attorneys and the CONTENT of the testimony - for that, he doesn't need to look a witness, defendant, plaintiff or any attorney in the eye.

The two trials on which I served were ultimately decided in favor of the state: in one case, the accused received the death penalty, and in the other, life in prison. And in both of these cases, local police and Ellis County Sheriff's deputies did an almost unbelievable job of botching the investigation; however, Judge Knize managed to sift through the incompetence and present testimony that allowed us to see and hear what had actually happened, not simply a "lawyer's view" of the events. Both of these slimebags deserved their sentences.

My favorite anecdote about Judge Knize is the reported exchange where he told a defendant who complained that he "didn't understand" directions to the courthouse that he was sending him to jail so he could learn English. Reading this statement made me realize what I like most about Judge Knize: he's a no-nonsense jurist, and we're lucky to have such a competent judge serving our county, the opinions of some crybaby shyster lawyer from Dallas notwithstanding.

Glenna, I have read this story twenty times and printed it for many others. Each time I read it, I am forced to relive our own hellish nightmare, twice in twenty-one days in 1991. And, they have no records! I am so proud of you and the guts it took to write this.

I had been told that you wanted to talk with me, but due to your deadline, it would have to wait. I could have shared so much more. After it was published, I waited over two weeks and tried to reach you. But, I was informed, that it would not happen. I was informed, that you were told to, "Back of." I understand, as I know how things function down there.
Just the same, I think you are a hero and I am grateful to you for standing up and sharing the truth. God knows, I have called Knize, Grubbs and others, every name the Lord would allow. I have accused them, in print, for about three years. But, did they sue me? No, but Grubbs has at least two lawsuits against our Attorney General, Greg Abbott, in order to cover-up certain cases. One is DR Chitale, (now in Mexico) and Cynthia Hellstern's husband. As most know, Cynthia works for Joe Grubbs.

I would love to see you do something on Grubbs! I am. I am on my next book called, "A Judicial Terror in Waxahachie and Ellis, County." This time, I am using all the real names. The gloves are off. I have no desire to destroy any lives. My goal is to destroy the massive corruption that thrives in Ellis, County. I know my brother is not the only innocent man there. Our case is not an isolated one.