Solano County judge admonished for treatment of lawyers

A Solano County Superior Court judge was publicly admonished Thursday for poor conduct in two trials in which he "usurped the role of the prosecutor," according to the Commission on Judicial Performance.

Judge Daniel J. Healy's misconduct was made even more egregious because he was once before admonished for similar behavior in family court, the commission said.

Thursday's disciplinary action stems from a November 2018 burglary trial during which Healy mishandled the admission of fingerprint evidence and a February 2019 child abuse trial during which the judge made inappropriate remarks to the attorneys during voir dire and the trial, according to the commission.

"During a jury trial, Judge Healy usurped the role of the prosecutor, exhibited poor demeanor, engaged in conduct giving the appearance of bias, and interfered with the attorney-client relationship. During another jury trial, Judge Healy exhibited poor demeanor towards the attorneys, engaged in conduct giving the appearance of bias, and interfered with the attorney-client relationship," the commission wrote.

Healy and his attorney, Christopher Ulrich of Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney PC in San Francisco, could not be reached for comment. In his remarks to the commission, Healy acknowledged that his remarks were "clumsy," "too casual" or 'too quick."

According to the commission, Healy told a defense attorney in the burglary case that he was "inadequately prepared, asked repetitive questions, and improperly attempted to introduce evidence without a foundation."

A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal reversed the burglary conviction in 2021. People v. Williams, VCR227914 (Cal.App. 1st. Filed April 30, 2019)

One defendant in the child abuse trial, the partner of the victim's mother that allegedly tortured the child, was sentenced to life in prison while the other defendant, the victim's mother, was acquitted. People v. Davis, VCR223008 (Solano Super. Ct. filed Feb. 6, 2015); People v. Wilson, Jr., VCR223009 (Solano Super. Ct. filed Feb. 6, 2015).

In 2014, Healy was admonished for his behavior in family law court.

"The commission considered Judge Healy's prior discipline -- a public admonishment and an advisory letter -- to be a significantly aggravating factor," the commission wrote. "The commission also determined that the judge's misconduct was significantly aggravated by the fact that it occurred while he participated in the commission's mentoring program to address demeanor issues. The commission considered Judge Healy's failure to fully appreciate his misconduct as an additional aggravating factor."