Barry Schwartz Censured Suspended

Denver County Court Judge Barry Schwartz personally arranged for a defendant's bail to be paid out of his own courtroom, in a 2016 misdemeanor assault case: after setting bail at $1 for a defendant who'd missed several prior court dates, and her attorney said she didn't have a dollar on her, Schwartz asked his own court staff for cash, then passed the dollar he was handed to the defense attorney to post the bail himself. A Denver Judicial Discipline Commission review found that by personally facilitating the defendant's bail this way, Schwartz compromised the impartiality, integrity, and independence of the judiciary, violating two rules of judicial conduct.

Denver's Mayor's Office publicly censured him and suspended him for one week without pay. Schwartz later resigned from the bench, submitting a letter on June 29 and using accrued leave time through his official last day, August 18.