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Commission censures ex-judge who lost attorney general bid

February 27, 2019 GMT

FILE - In this March 21, 2018, file photo Republican Attorney General candidate Steven Bailey speaks at a candidate debate in Sacramento, Calif. California's Commission on Judicial Performance on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, has barred former El Dorado County judge Bailey from serving on the bench or working with any state court. Commissioners say Bailey "engaged in a broad spectrum of misconduct on and off the bench spanning the entire course of his career." (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli,File)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Republican judge who ran unsuccessfully for California attorney general last year has been barred from the bench or working in state courts for using his position to help his campaign, accepting gifts and aiding his son’s employer.

Republican Steven Bailey was censured Wednesday by California’s Commission on Judicial Performance. He is a former El Dorado County judge who unsuccessfully challenged Democratic Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

The commissioners say Bailey “engaged in a broad spectrum of misconduct on and off the bench spanning the entire course of his career.” He served as judge from 2009 through August 2017.

Commissioners say that using his position to help his campaign impugned the judiciary’s independence, impartiality, and integrity.

Bailey called the decision “a political hit by a Democrat-dominated commission” designed to damage him.