Within the confines of a courtroom, a judge wields considerable authority over the proceedings that seek to determine justice. As a Uvalde county judge has discovered, those powers may not apply as much in the courthouse’s hallways and stairwells.
Judge William Ross Mitchell, who plans to retire in 2026 after 40 years on the bench, finds himself with some unexpected (and unpaid) time off after the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct suspended him on November 11, 2025. This came in response to a grand jury returning an indictment against Judge Mitchell on a criminal charge of official oppression, which allegedly occurred during a spat with delivery driver Tyler Cox in the Uvalde County Courthouse on March 27, 2025.
In addition to being suspended without pay until the resolution of the class A misdemeanor charge against him, Judge Mitchell also faces a second amended civil lawsuit filed by Cox on July 15. Citing multiple violations of his constitutional rights and Texas laws that include kidnapping, assault, and defamation, Cox is seeking $15,000,000 in compensatory damages. With the two sides squaring off and court battles looming, this doesn’t seem like an instance of UPS and its client being “Unstoppable Together.”
I AM the Law!
If the elevator in the Uvalde County Courthouse had been working on March 27, 2025, the incident between Judge Mitchell and Cox almost certainly wouldn’t have happened. Exactly what happened depends on which account you believe, as they tell two very different tales.
According to court records, Cox, a driver for UPS, had a dolly loaded with packages destined for the courthouse’s third floor. Since the elevator was not in service, Cox maintains that he was told he could leave the deliveries on the first floor and was in the process of doing so when the Texas county judge came out of his office and began loudly berating him about the packages. As Judge Mitchell continued to shout derogatory remarks, Cox alleges the Uvalde judge violently seized and shook the delivery dolly, scattering packages.
Cox’s suit claims that when he offered to relocate the packages, Judge Mitchell ordered him arrested by a Uvalde County sheriff, who performed an unlawful arrest by placing him in handcuffs and not giving him his Miranda rights. It goes on to state that Judge Mitchell then illegally seized Cox’s cellphone and used it without consent to call Cox’s UPS supervisor. According to Cox, the sheriff’s deputy released him after about five minutes, but Judge Mitchell continued to use his phone for a total of about nine minutes.
Judge Mitchell’s version tells a different story. In an amended motion to dismiss filed in August, Judge Mitchell claims that when told the packages needed to be delivered to the third floor, Cox committed disorderly conduct by calling the judge an “a**hole” while grabbing two packages and heading up a stairwell. While Judge Mitchell admits he ordered Cox’s arrest, he alleges that the handcuffs were on for “five seconds” and that Cox willingly gave his phone over for the call.
It’s Like Rashômon but in a Texas Courthouse
Cox’s lawsuit includes a count of defamation, as he claims Judge Mitchell fabricated the "a**hole” comment while recounting his rendition of the encounter to the Uvalde Leader-News. He also alleges that Judge Mitchell is suppressing the security footage of the altercation. His lawsuit seeks treble damages for violations of his Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendment protections, as well as municipal liability under Monell and state law claims of kidnapping, assault, conversion, and the aforementioned defamation.
In moving for dismissal of Cox’s lawsuit, Judge Mitchell asserts that the delivery driver’s claims fail due to a combination of a lack of actual violations and his judicial immunity as a public servant operating under the color of his office as a county judge. The resolution of his official oppression charge is likely to have an impact on Cox’s civil complaint. In the meantime, Judge Mitchell will have to adjust to seeing a courtroom from a distinctly different point of view.
Related Resources
- Murder Conviction Tossed After Misconduct by California Supreme Court Judge (FindLaw's Practice of Law)
- Whistleblower’s Lawsuit Accuses Colorado Justices of Rocky Ethical Misconduct (FindLaw’s Practice of Law)
- Judge Says No to Former Judge ‘Judge’ (FindLaw’s Practice of Law)
