Hon. Natalia “Nata” Cornelio, the elected judge of the 351st Criminal District Court in Harris County, has been publicly reprimanded by the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct following a series of rulings in the capital murder case of Ronald Lee Haskell. The Commission concluded that she acted with bias and failed to provide prosecutors a required opportunity to be heard before issuing a key order in the case.

Cornelio, who took office in 2021, and reelected in 2024, was removed earlier this year from Haskell’s ongoing legal proceedings. Haskell was convicted for the 2014 murders of six members of his ex-wife’s family — including four children — during an attack in Spring, Texas.

In its decision, the Commission stated that Cornelio’s actions undermined public confidence in the judiciary and warranted formal discipline.

The MRI Order That Raised Alarms

The controversy began with a bench warrant signed on June 27, 2024 ordering Haskell’s transport for a medical MRI. The document listed a scheduled court date for July 22 at 12:00 a.m., suggesting a hearing was set — though no such proceeding existed.

The issue did not first come to light through attorneys or court staff. Instead, a survivor of the attack received an automated alert through the VINE victim-notification system indicating Haskell had been returned to Harris County for a court event. Shocked by the unexpected notice, the survivor contacted the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, prompting prosecutors to investigate.

To clarify why a transfer order referenced a non-existent hearing, the State subpoenaed transport logs. But before prosecutors could pursue answers, another decision by Cornelio escalated the conflict.

A Saturday Ruling Without the State

On Saturday, September 14, 2024, Cornelio granted a defense motion to quash the subpoena — without notifying prosecutors, without allowing briefing, and without holding a hearing. The Commission later determined this violated the State’s statutory right to be heard before such a ruling could be made.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office argued that Cornelio’s actions concealed critical information and enabled the defense without lawful process. Prosecutors said these efforts shut them out of proceedings concerning a death-row defendant and alarmed victims who believed the court was handling the case quietly and incorrectly.

Recusal and Admissions of Error

After months of hearings and challenges, Presiding Judge Susan Brown of the 11th Administrative Judicial Region ruled in January 2025 that Cornelio must be removed from the case entirely.

In testimony before the Commission, Cornelio did not dispute the underlying facts. She acknowledged that she should have exercised greater care when signing the warrant, admitted she no longer rules on motions without confirming that both sides waive a hearing, and explained that she has since changed internal processes to ensure greater transparency in future warrant approvals.

Those corrective steps did not resolve the matter. The Commission concluded that her actions went beyond procedural missteps.

Re-election followed by reprimand

Just weeks before the controversy intensified, Cornelio celebrated her re-election to a second four-year term. In a November 2024 public message, she told voters that she had “upheld [her] promises” by following the law, ensuring equal protection, and serving with integrity. She highlighted her work presiding over thousands of felony cases, expanding interpreter and language-access services, and making the courts more accessible through remote hearings.

“I have followed the law, ensured equal protection for all, and served with integrity,” she wrote, thanking voters for their continued trust.

That re-election message — emphasizing strict adherence to legal duties — now stands in clear tension with the Commission’s findings that she failed to provide prosecutors a required opportunity to be heard and took actions that “cast public discredit” on the judiciary.

Formal Findings of Misconduct

In its final order, the Commission determined that Cornelio violated multiple standards of judicial conduct. The oversight body said she acted with bias, failed to provide prosecutors a fair opportunity to present their positions, and engaged in behavior incompatible with the impartial and open administration of justice.

The opinion stated that Cornelio engaged in “willful and persistent conduct that is clearly inconsistent with the proper performance of her judicial duties and cast public discredit on the judiciary and on the administration of justice.” With that conclusion, the public reprimand — a formal and lasting mark against an elected judge — was issued.

Public Discipline and What Comes Next

Cornelio has served as judge of the 351st Criminal District Court since 2021. Before taking the bench, she worked as an attorney in civil-rights and criminal-justice roles.

The reprimand issued by the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct now becomes a permanent chapter in her professional record. In the Haskell case, her decisions triggered objections from prosecutors, concerns from surviving family members, and ultimately the intervention of another judge who removed her from further participation.

While Cornelio has acknowledged mistakes in the handling of key motions and has said she has changed her procedures going forward, the Commission’s findings mark a rare and serious form of judicial discipline. As capital-case proceedings continue under new judicial oversight, the long-term impact of this reprimand on her career remains to be seen.

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