A Las Vegas judge says she was joking when she told convicted felons in sentencing proceedings if they stuck to their probation terms, they could get their voting rights back to in time to vote for President Donald Trump’s re-election.
The Nevada Independent reported it found the remark in court transcripts of Clark County District Court Judge Susan Johnson from July.
Johnson told the Independent she was “surprised” to hear about concerns raised by lawyers over what she called “just an off comment” meant to put people in the courtroom “at ease.”
She says until now, nobody had responded negatively to her words, but she apologized for any offense taken from them.
It is against judicial rules to allow political, family, financial or other interests to influence judgment. They're also not supposed to publically endorse or support candidates for office.