Certification commission keeps cease-and-desist orders for two court reporters pending May merits hearings

The Judicial Marine Certification Commission on a special-call Zoom meeting March 2025 voted to maintain temporary cease-and-desist orders for two court reporters, Ms. Dixon and Ms. Young, until the commission hears the disciplinary cases on the merits in May.

Commission staff, represented by Miss Mohan, told commissioners the orders were requested by JVCC director Ron Morgan and issued by the administrative director of the Office of Court Administration, Megan LaBoy, on Feb. 19. Mohan said the orders allow the reporters to finish records they were already working on as of Feb. 19 but bar taking new assignments. "Because the underlying facts are so egregious that this was warranted," Mohan said, adding the orders were necessary "to prevent further violations of the law by these respondents and to safeguard the justice system." She said the commission was not deciding merits at the special call but only whether to continue the temporary orders until the May merits hearing.

Miss Dixon, who said she was not represented, told the commission she is scheduled for thumb surgery March 31 and has been working intermittently because of pain. She said she has one death-penalty record that is approximately 1,000 pages with about 1 scopist to assist and that it has been roughly 600 days since the record was first due. Dixon said she provided proof of the surgery to the Court of Criminal Appeals and that the CCA had set deadlines in the underlying case; she asked the commission to lift the cease-and-desist order so she could take short, non-transcript-intensive assignments while finishing the death-penalty record. "I need to work, y'all. I know what I have to do," Dixon said.

Commissioners asked Dixon when she expected to finish the death-penalty record; she repeatedly told the panel she expected the record to be filed by March 25 and, at one point, said she could have it by March 24. After questioning, Commissioner Ford moved to keep Dixon's cease-and-desist order in place until the May commission meeting but to lift it earlier if Dixon files the three outstanding appeals she described and provides cause numbers and proof to JVCC director Ron Morgan. Commissioner Ariano seconded the motion. The chair called for a voice vote; the motion carried.

Miss Young, sworn under oath during the hearing, disputed parts of staff's summary of her record-keeping. Mohan had said Young had been tardy producing records in 13 cases and had prior disciplinary history; Young said some records had been submitted during the office's investigation and that not all listed matters were outstanding at the time. She acknowledged one transcript from July 2014 had been paid but said she sent it in the wrong format and later believed the matter was dismissed; staff said investigators later told Young the dismissal record was an error. Young said she had no scopist assistance and described three records she considered the relevant universe: two that she planned to file imminently (one she estimated at about 300 pages) and a third later this month that had not been paid.

Commissioner Ford made the same motion for Young that he had made for Dixon: continue the cease-and-desist order until the May hearing, but lift it earlier if Young files the outstanding records and provides proof to JVCC director Ron Morgan. Commissioner Ariano seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote; the chair told Young she must provide Mr. Morgan the identifying information for the outstanding matters that same day and that the commission would verify filings before lifting the order.

Both motions explicitly left the merits of the underlying disciplinary allegations for the commission's May meeting. Commissioners and staff emphasized the limited procedural question before them: whether the temporary restrictions should remain in effect pending the merits hearing or be modified or waived sooner.

Commission staff present during the call included Miss Holcomb, Miss Daniels, Miss Smith, Miss Mohan, Miss Gibson, Miss Jones and Miss Salcedo. The chair thanked staff and adjourned the special call.

Votes at a glance: two separate motions (one for each respondent) to continue existing cease-and-desist orders until the commission's May merits hearings, with conditional early lifting if each respondent files specified outstanding records and provides proof to JVCC director Ron Morgan. Both motions carried on voice votes.