Crystal Duke Admonished

The Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct publicly admonished Roxton Municipal Court Judge Crystal Duke and ordered additional education after she completed only one of her required 16 hours of judicial education for the 2023-2024 academic year. In her written response, Duke explained she missed a scheduled June 2024 training because she was providing round-the-clock care for her mother-in-law — but she never formally requested a waiver for the unmet requirement.

The Commission found Duke's failure violated Canon 2A of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct, which requires judges to comply with the law and maintain public confidence in the judiciary's integrity, and Canon 3B(2), which requires judges to maintain professional competence in the law.

Completing just one of sixteen required hours is a substantial shortfall, not a near-miss — and the Commission noted that Duke could have sought a formal waiver for her caregiving circumstances but didn't, leaving the requirement simply unmet rather than properly excused.