Inquiry Concerning Van Voorhis

*CJP Supp. 263 Opinion

This disciplinary matter concerns Judge Bruce Van Voorhis, a judge of the Contra Costa County Superior Court. The notice of formal proceedings charged Judge Van Voorhis with 11 incidents of unethical conduct.

The commission agrees with the special masters that all 11 charges are supported by clear and convincing evidence. The commission concludes that four of Judge Van Voorhis’s acts constitute willful misconduct, that the remaining seven constitute acts of conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the judicial office into disrepute, and that these proven charges constitute a pattern of misconduct similar in nature to the misconduct for which Judge Van Voorhis was previously publicly reproved. Judge Van Voorhis’s misconduct not only brought the judicial office into disrepute, but threatened to interfere with the actual administration of justice. Furthermore, the commission finds that Judge Van Voorhis does not appreciate the inappropriateness of his conduct and the commission concludes that Judge Van Voorhis would again violate the California Code of Judicial Ethics, if allowed to remain on the bench. For the reasons more fully set…