Fresno judge accused of unethical conduct in complaint over political ties
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Complaint alleges Judge Whalen ruled on case involving past donor Huelskamp
- Whalen overturned Fresno City Council decision blocking Huelskamp project
- Commission on Judicial Performance to investigate potential ethics violation
A Fresno County Superior Court judge is being accused of violating ethics rules by not publicaly disclosing that he received political contributions from a land developer whose case he recently decided.
The relationship between Judge Robert M. Whalen Jr. and developer James Huelskamp, of LandValue Management, is being questioned in a complaint filed July 30 with the Commission on Judicial Performance in San Francisco.
The commission is an independent state agency responsible for investigating complaints of judicial misconduct and judicial incapacity and for disciplining state judges.
At issue is a lawsuit filed by Huelskamp against the Fresno City Council after it narrowly rejected the developer’s plans for an 82-unit market-rate apartment complex along Herndon Avenue in northwest Fresno.
Huelskamp argued that he met the city’s municipals codes and general plan and that the council acted arbitrarily.
In July, Whalen overturned the city council’s decision, ordering the project be allowed to move forward.
In the complaint to the commission, a person identified as Paul Martin, says Huelskamp has contributed money to Whalen’s various campaigns going back to 2004 when he ran for Clovis City Council.
Neighbors in the area complained the project would increase traffic, lower property values and increase crime. Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni also raised safety concerns about the development.
In exhibits submitted to the commission and provided to The Fresno Bee, Huelskamp or LandValue Management have contributed amounts ranging from $1,000 in 2010 when Whalen ran for California State Assembly to $2,000 in 2022 when Whalen campaigned to be a Superior Court judge.
Martin alleges Whalen and Huelskamp have a “long history of a personal and business relationship.”
“Whalen had a duty to disclose this relationship prior to the hearing the court case,” Martin wrote. “There was tremendous opposition from the public living in the area impacted by the project. Whalen should have recused himself from hearing the case based on his personal and political relationship with Huelskamp and LandValue Management.”
Whalen declined to comment Tuesday and Huelskamp could not be reached for comment.
A spokesman for the commission said the agency does not confirm or deny that it has received a complaint or that an investigation is underway.
The commission is made up of 11 members, three judges appointed by the California Supreme Court, four members appointed by the Governor, including two attorneys and two public members), two public members appointed by the Assembly Speaker, and two public members appointed by the Senate Rules Committee.
This story was originally published August 20, 2025 at 10:35 AM.
