A judge has been issued with a formal warning for misconduct after she was found to have shouted at and interrupted a legal representative during a hearing.
District Judge Najma Mian was ‘sarcastic and condescending’ during the family court hearing, the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) has found.
A litigant in family proceedings complained that Mian had ‘shouted, verbally lashed out and interrupted her legal representative throughout the hearing’.
Announcing its ruling, the JCIO said: ‘The Guide to Judicial Conduct reminds office-holders to be courteous, tolerant and respect the dignity of all. They should also ensure that their conduct maintains and enhances public confidence in the judiciary.’
It added that an investigation by a nominated judge did not find all of the complaint made out but found Mian ‘was sarcastic and condescending and had shouted at and interrupted the representative on many occasions throughout the hearing’.
Mian accepted she had shown frustration in the hearing when faced with the same issues as previous hearings, the JCIO said. It added: ‘DJ Mian explained that she had repeatedly tried to move the case forward. She considered that she had taken a robust view on the evidence before the court and did not accept the findings of the nominated judge.’
Issuing Mian with a formal warning, the JCIO said the lady chief justice and lord chancellor had taken into consideration that Mian had been issued with formal advice in 2021 after she was criticised in an appeal judgment for showing anger and sarcasm during a hearing.
