Texas Judge Reprimanded Over Mishandling of Death Penalty Appeal Case

The Commission began investigating her in late 2024 after news broke that she was removed from the death penalty appeal case of Ronald Lee Haskell, the man convicted of killing six members of his ex-wife’s family.

According to the report, Judge Cornelio signed a bench warrant in June 2024 saying Haskell was being brought to court for a hearing — but no hearing was actually scheduled. Because of that mistake, one of the victims’ families received an alert that Haskell was being transferred back to Houston, which caused confusion and concern.

Later, when prosecutors tried to get information about Haskell’s transport records, Judge Cornelio blocked their subpoena on a SATURDAY, without giving the District Attorney’s Office a chance to respond. Prosecutors accused her of being biased and handling the case unfairly, and in January 2025, another judge agreed and officially removed her from the case.

When she appeared before the Commission, Judge Cornelio admitted to making mistakes, saying she didn’t double-check the paperwork and shouldn’t have ruled on the subpoena without a hearing. She said she’s since changed how she handles similar situations.

After reviewing everything, the Commission ruled that Judge Cornelio’s actions showed bias and poor judgment, violating the rules that require judges to act fairly and give both sides an equal opportunity to be heard. The Commission issued a public reprimand on October 10, 2025, meaning she was formally and publicly warned for misconduct.

For those who aren’t familiar, the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct is a state agency that investigates complaints against judges. It’s made up of 13 members — 6 judges, 2 lawyers, and 5 regular citizens — who decide if a judge’s actions broke ethical or professional standards. They can issue anything from a private warning to removal from office, depending on the seriousness of the violation.