Judge admonished for comments from the bench

A King County judge was admonished Wednesday for trading lewd taunts with a defendant in his courtroom and making unusual references to the ethnicity of two others.

District Court Judge Mark Chow agreed that he violated two ethics codes and accepted the discipline, the least severe sanction available to the state Commission on Judicial Conduct. He also agreed to participate in ethics training.

	Chow

Chow was presiding in a King County Jail courtroom Jan. 23, when a male defendant snapped at him with a vulgar sexual demand.

Chow replied, "I would if you pulled it out, but you can't find it."

While presiding in Mental Health Court that same day, Chow also asked a female defendant, "What flavor are you?" -- a question about her ethnic background. He told another, "I think I know what flavor you are, so I'm not even going to ask."

The Chinese-American judge acknowledged using the term "flavor" to refer to ethnicity in an attempt to put the people at ease and to express camaraderie with them in the specialized court, which is aimed at addressing the needs of mentally ill offenders.

He has since agreed with the commission that his question, though well-intentioned, could be seen by observers as demeaning.

In the other incident, he "immediately recognized the impropriety of his retort" and apologized to those in his courtroom at the time, according to the commission.

Chow, 53, has served on the bench since 1991 and presided over the county's Mental Health Court for several years. He was reassigned shortly after making the controversial remarks.

Chow couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.