A White Bluff, Tenn., man has filed a complaint against Nashville General Sessions Judge Rachel Bell, saying she delayed his case and interrupted his testimony to take a picture with a high school class.
Tommy Craig said he mailed the complaint to the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct on Wednesday. He also gave a notarized copy to The Tennessean.
It says Bell “showed for 9:00 docket at 10:30, informed us that she needed to leave at 12:30.” It also says Bell took an hourlong break during the case, delayed a ruling for more than one month and gave unfair consideration to the defendant because he was a “senior citizen.”
“I’m there at 8:30. I was told it was 9 o’clock it started,” Craig said. He said he waited in court for four hours for his trial involving a labor contract dispute, and ended up being there until late afternoon.
“Right in the middle of my hearing, she stopped to take pictures with a high school class there,” he said. “I had to get off the witness stand to let them get up and take pictures.
“I am not happy with this judge at all.”
The complaint comes amid scrutiny of Bell’s schedule, which includes not starting court until at least 10:30 a.m. each day. Another judge said last month that a delay in an unrelated case in Bell’s courtroom showed a “cavalier attitude” and said Bell starting court at 11 a.m. was “disturbing.” The complaint could, after an initial review, lead to (continue reading at Tennessean)