HOUSTON – A district court administration spokesperson confirmed to KPRC 2 News that the IT worker seen in a now-viral social media video, appearing to be belittled by a judge, remains employed by the courts.
Amanda Cain, a spokesperson for the district court administration, told KPRC 2’s Rilwan Balogun Wednesday afternoon that the county “will not discharge, demote, or otherwise discriminate against an employee who is properly performing his or her duties.”
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She added that she could not comment on judges.
The video at the center of the controversy shows Judge Nathan Milliron and has garnered tens of thousands, if not millions, of views across social media.
The clip, taken from a livestreamed court proceeding, shows a tense exchange between the judge and an IT worker helping with courtroom audio or technical issues.
In the video, the IT worker attempts to troubleshoot what appears to be an audio problem, guiding the judge through adjustments. When the IT worker makes a light remark, Judge Milliron responds sharply, telling him not to joke and ultimately ordering him to leave the courtroom.
The judge, visibly frustrated, is also heard calling for the worker’s supervisor and expressing anger over the situation.
Judge Milliron has not responded to KPRC 2’s repeated requests for comment and has been in trial throughout the week.
However, a Facebook page that appears to be his posted this week: “The video has been edited, right?”
The video has drawn widespread attention, with more videos surfacing that appear to show the judge engaging in similarly tense exchanges, including one involving an attorney.
Despite the growing online attention, attorneys involved in an ongoing civil case in Milliron’s courtroom say their focus remains on their client. Attorneys Johnny and Byron Alfred are representing a man who they say lost his arm in a railroad work incident five years ago.
“Five years ago, he lost his arm,” Johnny Alfred said. “For him, this is his only chance to get justice—laser beam focused on that. We’ve been working around the clock for months to get this case to trial. Nothing is a backdrop to his case.”
Byron Alfred echoed that sentiment.“We’ve had an excellent three weeks in his court,” he said. “Why would we be concerned about what’s going on outside the court?”
However, the videos have sparked concern within the legal community.
Longtime criminal defense attorney James Stafford said the footage prompted him to take the unusual step of directly contacting the judge. Stafford, who has practiced law for more than five decades, said he had never before felt compelled to email a judge about their behavior.
“I listened to it and it offended me as a citizen and also as a lawyer,” Stafford told KPRC 2’s Jaewon Jung. “I’ve never seen a judge act this way. His conduct was way out of hand.”
In his email to Judge Milliron, Stafford wrote: “I hope you issued him an apology for the way you treated him. I hope you were just having a bad day and this is not your typical judicial temperament.”
Judge Milliron responded by stating that Stafford “probably shouldn’t be communicating with the judge ex parte on his judicial email address,” and later ordered him to appear in court on April 9.
Stafford disputes that characterization, noting he has no cases before the judge.“I was not ex parte, because I do not have any cases in this court,” he said. “There was nothing inappropriate. And it wasn’t an ex parte communication.” He also said he does not plan to comply with what he described as an unenforceable order.
However, Brent Mayr, the president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, said in a social media video that he plans to attend the April 9 meeting.
“Our organization stands up for good judges who do the right thing and bad judges who don’t,” Mayr said in the video. “By now, many of you have seen or heard about this Harris County judge treating a court staff employee in an absolutely inappropriate and humiliating manner. There is no question that judges should not act like that.”
KPRC 2 has also reached out to the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct to inquire about any complaints involving Judge Milliron. No response has been received.