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    PALE (Case Digest) - Stephanie Santoalla

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    Nicole Santoalla
    Judge Jaime L. Dojillo Jr. was charged with misconduct for his actions during an election protest hearing involving his brother. During the hearing, Judge Dojillo sat beside his brother's counsel, coached and aided the counsel by whispering and passing notes. While Judge Dojillo did not intend to influence the outcome, his presence and active participation created the appearance of partiality. The Supreme Court ruled that Judge Dojillo's actions violated the Code of Judicial Conduct requiring judges to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

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    PALE (Case Digest) - Stephanie Santoalla

    Uploaded by

    Nicole Santoalla
    178 views1 page
    Judge Jaime L. Dojillo Jr. was charged with misconduct for his actions during an election protest hearing involving his brother. During the hearing, Judge Dojillo sat beside his brother's counsel, coached and aided the counsel by whispering and passing notes. While Judge Dojillo did not intend to influence the outcome, his presence and active participation created the appearance of partiality. The Supreme Court ruled that Judge Dojillo's actions violated the Code of Judicial Conduct requiring judges to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

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    PALE (Case Digest)- Stephanie Santoalla

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    Judge Jaime L. Dojillo Jr. was charged with misconduct for his actions during an election protest hearing involving his brother. During the hearing, Judge Dojillo sat beside his brother's counsel, coached and aided the counsel by whispering and passing notes. While Judge Dojillo did not intend to influence the outcome, his presence and active participation created the appearance of partiality. The Supreme Court ruled that Judge Dojillo's actions violated the Code of Judicial Conduct requiring judges to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    178 views1 page

    PALE (Case Digest) - Stephanie Santoalla

    Uploaded by

    Nicole Santoalla
    Judge Jaime L. Dojillo Jr. was charged with misconduct for his actions during an election protest hearing involving his brother. During the hearing, Judge Dojillo sat beside his brother's counsel, coached and aided the counsel by whispering and passing notes. While Judge Dojillo did not intend to influence the outcome, his presence and active participation created the appearance of partiality. The Supreme Court ruled that Judge Dojillo's actions violated the Code of Judicial Conduct requiring judges to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 1

    STEPHANIE M.

    SANTOALLA MARCH 21, 2020


    PALE/ SAT 9:00AM- 12:00NN

    A.M. No. MTJ-05-1591. July 14, 2005

    RODRIGO "JING" N. VIDAL versus JUDGE JAIME L. DOJILLO, JR.,


    Municipal Trial Court, Manaoag, Pangasinan
    (CASE DIGEST)

    FACTS:
    The Hon. Jaime L. Dojillo, Jr., Presiding Judge of Municipal Trial Court at Manaoag,
    Pangasinan is here charged with "Misconduct." The charge stemmed from an Election
    Protest filed by the brother of Judge Dojillo at the Municipal Circuit Trial Court stationed at
    San Fabian, Pangasinan to protest the proclamation of herein complainant as Barangay
    Captain in the 2002 election.

    Mr. Vidal [herein complainant] alleged that during the 29 and 30 July 2003 hearings
    of the Election Protest, Judge Dojillo "sat beside the counsel of his brother" and "actively
    coached, aided, assisted, and guided said counsel by now and then saying something,
    handing piece of writing, reminding, and or stopping the counsel from manifesting
    something to the court, and other similar acts." Complainant continued that herein
    respondent’s "assertive presence and display of partisan activities in full public view could
    not have been ignored or unnoticed by the court a quo and would give the impression and
    suspicion of partiality of the said court in favor of respondent’s brother."

    The OCA then recommended that the complaint against respondent be dismissed
    but respondent judge should be advised to be more circumspect in his actions in the future.

    ISSUE: Whether Judge Dojillo’s action constitute “misconduct”.

    RULING: YES. Judge Jaime L. Dojillo, Jr., is found GUILTY of violation of Canon 2 of
    the Code of Judicial Conduct.

    Although concern for family members is deeply ingrained in the Filipino culture,
    respondent, being a judge, should bear in mind that he is also called upon to serve the
    higher interest of preserving the integrity of the entire judiciary. Canon 2 of the Code of
    Judicial Conduct requires a judge to avoid not only impropriety but also the mere
    appearance of impropriety in all activities. Even if respondent did not intend to use his
    position as a judge to influence the outcome of his brother’s election protest, it cannot be
    denied that his presence in the courtroom during the hearing of his brother’s case would
    immediately give cause for the community to suspect that his being a colleague in the
    judiciary would influence the judge trying the case to favor his brother. The fact that
    neither complainant nor his counsel objected to the presence of respondent during the
    hearing is immaterial. Respondent himself should have refrained from publicly showing his
    seemingly active interest and participation in the case, for he does not deny that he
    whispered and passed notes to his brother’s lawyer during the course of the hearing.

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