A bailiff opens the door for lawyers and members of the media at the 215th District Court. Judge Nathan Milliron had told criminal defense attorney James Stafford to appear before him after Stafford raised concerns about the judge’s behavior.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
A bailiff opens the door of the 215th District Court. Judge Nathan Milliron had told criminal defense attorney James Stafford to appear before him after Stafford raised concerns about the judge’s behavior.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
Lawyers and members of the media wait outside the locked 215th District Court in Houston on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
A trickle of attorneys arrived for legal proceedings in Judge Nathan Milliron’s court Thursday, but they didn’t include James Stafford — the Houston lawyer who criticized Milliron for his irate behavior toward a Harris County employee that was captured in a viral video.
Milliron had responded to Stafford’s concerns by telling him to appear in court on Thursday. Stafford ignored the request, saying it wasn’t a legitimate judicial order. About a dozen lawyers with the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association arrived at Milliron’s courtroom in a show of support for Stafford.
READ MORE: Harris County judge’s rebuke of county employee goes viral, sparking widespread criticism
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A bailiff never called Stafford’s name. The embattled judge took the bench as if days of criticism and questioning of his judicial temperament never happened.
“The judge is not taking any further illegal action,” said Brent Mayr, head of the association, after waiting an hour and a half for something — anything — to happen.
The bailiff opens the door for lawyers and members of the media to the 215th District Court on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle
Supporters rally behind lawyer
Mayr rallied the lawyers to flock to the 215th District Court around 8 a.m. — the time Milliron ordered Stafford to appear before him — to see what the judge would do.
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Their support of the veteran attorney began after a video of Milliron lashing out at an information-technology worker for the courts circulated on social media. Stafford saw the video and wrote an email to Milliron questioning his behavior and telling him to apologize to the employee.
The Houston Chronicle first reported that Milliron responded to Stafford by accusing him of sending an improper “ex parte” communication and ordering him to appear. Stafford’s email was political speech, legal experts have argued, and not an example of a prohibited communication between a judge and a lawyer in a case without the knowledge of other parties.
Stafford does not practice in Milliron’s court and never has.
Milliron again declined to discuss the video or to allow news media to take photos or video of his courtroom. A livestream that the judge previously used to broadcast a personal injury trial and other proceedings was turned off.
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He deleted his Facebook account last week.
‘Very pleasant’ behavior
The county employee in the viral video remains employed. He referred questions to a spokesperson for the Harris County Administration Office of the District Courts and then offered to pose for a selfie with a reporter.
Outside the courtroom, the criminal defense lawyers who supported Stafford stood on one side of the hallway, across from their civil counterparts who were there for their respective hearings — not to make a statement against the judge ruling on their cases.
Milliron kicked off the morning with one hearing after another, including one where he approved a settlement stemming from a car wreck that injured a young boy. The child spun around in circles in the witness chair as his mother was questioned about the settlement.
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MORE COVERAGE: A Houston lawyer spoke out on a judge’s viral outburst. Can the judge force him to appear in court?
Several members of the association watched the proceedings until a lengthy hearing started.
Wade Smith, another defense attorney, reflected on Milliron’s in-court behavior as “very pleasant.”
“That doesn’t surprise me when he’s got a lot of eyeballs on him,” Smith said during a news conference outside Milliron’s courtroom.
Despite Mayr’s concern over Milliron’s treatment of Stafford, neither he nor other members have filed a complaint with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. The commission can consider complaints stemming from “inappropriate or demeaning courtroom conduct, such as yelling, profanity, gender bias, or racial slurs.”
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Mayr believes Milliron should still apologize to Stafford, the employee and others.
“I think he owes an apology to the people of Harris County to say that, ‘Look, I am not going to act like this anymore in the future,'” Mayr said.