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Former judge Amber Givens speaks during a news conference at Antioch Fellowship Church, Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Dallas, to lay out her plans after her win in the Dallas County district attorney’s race in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n
A Special Court of Review on Thursday dismissed all sanctions against former State District Court Judge Amber Givens<\/a>\u00a0after a local criminal defense lawyers\u2019 group filed multiple misconduct allegations against her five years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n The court\u2019s six-page decision came a little more than a year after the State Commission on Judicial Conduct handed down a public reprimand and public admonition against the former felony court judge. Givens appealed the commission\u2019s findings and a trial was held in February at the state Supreme Court in Austin. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe conclude the Commission failed to meet its burden of proving the charged conduct by a preponderance of the evidence,\u201d the court wrote in its opinion. \u201cWe, therefore, dismiss the Commission\u2019s public reprimands and public admonitions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n While the review court dismissed every charge collectively, it provided little incident-by-incident analysis of why the evidence was insufficient. \u00a0<\/p>\n Related: Former Dallas County judge testifies in misconduct trial, denies allegations<\/a><\/p>\n Givens resigned<\/a> from her position presiding over the 282nd District Court in December to run for Dallas County district attorney. She defeated<\/a> two-term incumbent John Creuzot in the March 3 Democratic primary and has no opponent<\/a> on the November ballot.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s obviously a complete victory for Judge Givens,\u201d said attorney Chip Babcock, who represented her during the appeal. \u201cAs we said in our post-trial briefs, the commission did not prove any of the charges and in our view, did not come close to proving them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Assistant Attorneys General Brad Wurster and John Grey, who represented the commission at trial, didn\u2019t immediately respond Thursday to an email seeking comment. Givens also didn\u2019t immediately respond to a text seeking comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Attorney Amanda Branan, who was president of the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association when the organization filed the complaints against Givens and was among the witnesses who testified against her, said Thursday she accepted the special court\u2019s ruling.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe went down to Austin and testified truthfully and we respect the decision of the court,\u201d Branan said. \u00a0<\/p>\n The case against Givens began in 2021 when leaders of the criminal defense lawyers group filed two misconduct complaints against her. Another investigation was initiated the following year by the commission after Givens was accused of presiding over two criminal cases after she’d been recused, jailing a man in one case and revoking bond from another.\u00a0<\/p>\n The other allegations included that she allowed a court coordinator to preside over a Zoom bond hearing, mistreated lawyers and litigants, showed bias against members of the Dallas County Defense Lawyers Association, mishandled recusal motions and recorded a conversation with a regional presiding judge without his knowledge. \u00a0<\/p>\n In July, the commission issued a public reprimand \u2013 the harshest sanction available — and an admonishment after its members confirmed the allegations. Givens appealed the findings, leading to the trial earlier this year. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The review court consisted of three judges from various appellate courts in the state. Two lawyers from the attorney general’s office presented the case against Givens, and Babcock served as her lead attorney. \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n