Galveston DA asks state to investigate judge

County Court No. 3 Judge Christopher DuPuy County Court No. 3 Judge Christopher DuPuy Photo: handout Photo: handout Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Galveston DA asks state to investigate judge 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

GALVESTON - Investigations into the conduct of a Galveston County judge are being referred to the Texas attorney general, District Attorney Jack Roady said Monday.

Roady is asking the Attorney General's Office to take over investigations into complaints against County Court-at-Law Judge Christopher Dupuy. If his office investigated, Roady said, he would have to ask Dupuy to withdraw as judge in hundreds of criminal cases pending in his court. It would be a conflict of interest for prosecutors to investigate a judge while prosecuting cases over which the judge presides.

Dupuy's withdrawal from so many cases would cost thousands of tax dollars to hire visiting judges to handle Dupuy's criminal cases, Roady said.

"Judge Dupuy presides over one-third of the thousands of misdemeanor cases prosecuted by my office each year," Roady said.

Roady also revealed that he had received more than one complaint against Dupuy meriting investigation.

"My office has received a number of complaints relating to Judge Dupuy," he said, but he declined to say how many or to reveal the nature of the complaints.

Last week Roady confirmed that he was investigating a complaint alleging abuse of official capacity after the attorney who filed the complaint made it public. Attorney Greg Enos accused Dupuy of improperly faxing legal advice to his fiancee from his chambers.

Dupuy has called the complaints against him politically motivated.

Any further allegations against Dupuy also will be referred to the attorney general, Roady said.