A newly elected circuit judge recently agreed not to fight the findings of a state commission that he didn’t do his job correctly when he was an associate circuit judge. The Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline of Judges recommends a 30-day suspension from the bench for Judge Tony Williams, but the discipline, if any, that the Missouri Supreme Court will impose is not certain.

Williams won election last November to be the circuit judge in Missouri’s new 46th Circuit, which covers Taney County. The Missouri Legislature and governor created the 46th Circuit, beginning this year, by separating Taney County from Christian County, which now is the only county in the 38th Circuit. Williams was an associate circuit judge in Taney County since 2001 before being elected as a circuit judge.

The Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline of Judges, which investigates complaints against judges, found seven instances in which Williams violated a state law, violated Supreme Court rules on how to handle cases and ensure the rights of people appearing before him, or violated the state’s Judicial Code of Conduct.

The first count of the commission’s findings says Williams unlawfully excluded the public from his courtroom between September 2012 and May 2014. The other six counts deal with Williams’ treatment of an attorney and his client. All seven counts involve a guardianship case for a woman who could no longer handle her own finances, legal affairs, and medical decisions.

The Commission filed its recommendations with the Missouri Supreme Court on Jan. 31. The end of the Commission’s report says Williams “has filed his Consent and Waiver of Appeal” for the disciplinary case.

The Commission recommends Williams be suspended “without pay for a period of thirty days” but a spokeswoman for the Supreme Court said in an email message that, “A recommendation for discipline is not the same as a disciplinary action. Only the Court determines what discipline, if any, is appropriate, as well as the timing of any such discipline.”

The Commission's report on its findings and recommendation on discipline is attached at the right of this report.

Williams has an attorney from Branson, Donald Ingrum, who represents him in this case. Ingrum said in a telephone interview on Thursday afternoon that he and the judge have no comment for this report about the disciplinary case.