The Judge and the Gambling Den
Jefferson County’s legal establishment formally accuses their Superior Court judge of frequenting gambling houses and pre-judging cases.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
At a meeting of the Bar Association held this evening in Port Townsend, a resolution was passed by a vote of 9 to 6 addressing the conduct of Morris B. Sachs, judge of the superior court. The resolution alleges shameful conduct in repeatedly violating law and public sentiment, specifically visiting gambling houses within his jurisdiction and openly participating in games carried on there. Furthermore, the judge is accused of repeatedly prejudicing causes on trial before him. The Bar of North Jefferson County demands a searching investigation by the state legislature, stating that duty to the bench, the bar, and the public demands they denounce the conduct as a disgrace to the high office he holds and an outrage upon law and order.
“Such judicial officers to maintain their usefulness should possess the confidence of the people, and to that end should have not only clean hands but also clean names.”
Public confidence in the judiciary remains a cornerstone of civic life, and the 1891 charges against Judge Sachs highlight how local bar associations have long served as the first line of defense—or contention—against judicial misconduct. The tension between a judge’s private habits and their public duty is a struggle that continues to echo in modern questions of judicial ethics.
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