by Laurel Duggan
Jefferson County, Alabama, Judge Nakita Blocton was removed from her job after numerous accusations of abuse against employees, colleagues and litigants while reportedly under the influence of Phentermine or other prescription drugs.
Blocton was accused of calling another judge a “fat bitch” and “Uncle Tom,” according to the judgment of the Alabama Court of the Judiciary.
One employee accused Blocton of forcing her and others to take Phentermine, a diet pill, to “pep” them up after working late in a complaint to the Alabama Judiciary.
Employees also accused Blocton of abusive practices, including forcing them to come to work when the office should have been quarantined due to COVID-19 exposure, making them work excessive hours and threatening to fire them immediately if they did not comply in addition to wasting attorneys’ and employees’ time with lengthy rants from the bench and berating an employee for using the restroom during work.
The complaint also accused Blocton, or someone at Blocton’s direction, of using fake Facebook accounts to inappropriately communicate with litigants in a divorce case she was presiding over. “Hundreds of pages of conversations” between Blocton and the litigants include comments such as “the devil is watching you,” “leave those black women democrats alone or the devil is going to get you” and “false prophet how much is your white judge paying you.”
The commission did not find clear and convincing evidence to support accusations the Blocton abused drugs or was mentally unstable, but it did find that she engaged in inappropriate communications and told employees to let her see their private phones so she could delete information relevant to the commission’s investigation.
The commission also found convincing evidence that Blocton engaged in abuse of staff, attorneys and litigants.
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Laurel Duggan is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Nakita Blocton” by Judge Nakita Blocton.
One of how many?