HOUSTON – A Harris County judge already under scrutiny after a viral courtroom video is now facing additional questions about compliance with state ethics laws.
Records from the Texas Ethics Commission show Judge Nathan Milliron is listed as delinquent on two separate required filings, including both campaign finance and personal financial disclosure reports.
According to the Texas Ethics Commission, individuals are placed on delinquent filer lists when they fail to submit required reports on time and have unpaid civil penalties associated with those filings.
Milliron appears on the Commission’s candidate/officeholder delinquent filer list, where records show he is facing a $1,000 civil penalty tied to missed campaign finance filings. He is also listed on the personal financial statement delinquent filer list, where he is facing a $500 fine for failing to submit required financial disclosures.
The Texas Ethics Commission says those required filings are designed to ensure accountability and allow the public to identify potential conflicts of interest.
It is unclear from the listings how long the filings have been delinquent. Filers are removed from the lists once they come into compliance and pay any outstanding penalties.
This development comes as Milliron faces growing criticism following viral videos that sparked concerns about his conduct on the bench.
The videos, which have circulated widely on social media, show Harris County Civil Court Judge Nathan Milliron in tense exchanges with both an IT worker and an attorney.
Attorneys, including the president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, have publicly condemned the behavior seen in the video.
KPRC 2 has reached out to Judge Milliron for comment and is awaiting a response.
We also reached out to the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct to ask for complaints against Judge Milliron.
The agency sent us the following:
“Please be advised that due to confidentiality laws that govern the release of information from this agency, the only documents we would be able to provide in response to such a request would be documents associated with a public disciplinary action taken against a judge. No prior or current public discipline has been taken against the judge, subject of your inquiry, therefore, we have no documents or records that are responsive to your request.
Please also be advised that the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct is not subject to the Texas Public Information Act (Chapter 552, Tex. Gov’t Code), as that Act relates only to those governmental agencies within, or created by, the executive or legislative branches of state government. The Commission is a judicial agency, established in 1965 by a constitutional amendment (Article 5, Section 1-a, Texas Constitution), and the release and publication of its records is governed by Rule 12 of the Texas Rules of Judicial Administration, and other constitutional and statutory provisions set forth below.
Rule 12 provides for public access to certain records made or maintained by a judicial agency in its regular course of business that do not pertain to its adjudicative function. The records you describe pertain solely to the Commission’s adjudicative function, and therefore, are not available for release or publication. Additionally, please be advised that pursuant to Rule 12.4(a)(4) of the Texas Rules of Judicial Administration, this agency is not required to respond to or comply with requests for judicial records from or on behalf of individuals who are imprisoned or confined in a correctional facility."