AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- The suspension of a Texas family court judge seen beating his then-teenage daughter in a YouTube video has been lifted.
William Adams, a court-at-law judge in Aransas County, had been on paid suspension since November 2011, when his daughter Hillary, now 24, uploaded a 7-minute video from 2004, showing Adams beating her for acquiring video games and music of which he disapproved. The video was seen by millions of viewers and put Hillary and her mother, Hallie Adams, on the national talk show circuit, the Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday.
The outcry led to an investigation by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, and the Supreme Court suspended Adams pending its outcome. On Sept. 4, the commission issued Adams a public warning and questioned his suitability for a position on the family court bench. The commission did not, however, recommend his removal, the newspaper said.
Adams is up for re-election in 2014.
Adams issued a statement last year, saying his daughter angrily posted the video in response to his withdrawal of financial support.
The statute of limitations for prosecuting Adams on criminal child abuse charges has passed, but his daughter and her mother remain bitter.
"I've seen the legal system fail. I've seen the justice system fail and now I've seen the review system fail," said Hallie Adams.
"The Supreme Court has no idea what it's done by allowing a mentally ill man to run a courtroom, and they're going to hurt a lot more people by allowing him to continue in his job," his daughter added.
