Judge Howard Hinson has resigned after having admitted guilt in a Commission of Judicial Review proceeding regarding "irregularities" while on the bench as a judge of the Yavapai County Superior Court.Hinson was charged with failure to decide cases in a timely manner, repeatedly filing false affidavits, and failure to diligently administer his court.
Although the act of filing false affidavits constitutes perjury, as of this date no criminal charges have been filed asserting perjury, nor of the potentially associated crimes of fraud, theft and forgery.
Instead, Hinson has been censured and allowed to resign from the bench, effective September 30 - thereby keeping his pension intact while avoiding other sanctions/actions for his behaviour.
Apparently he will also be able to function in other judicial capacities in the future, such as the county's Superior Court civil mediation program.
Howard Hinson was baptized within the Episcopal Church while a small child, but left the denomination years ago for an undisclosed reason.
For more information, the following sites are helpful, along with "googling" Judge Howard D Hinson Jr:
