theodp writes: Federal prosecutors will not charge a Texas judge seen lashing his teenage daughter with a belt on a YouTube video taken seven years ago and posted online last week, closing the door on the possibility of criminal charges in the case. The viral video, uploaded by now 23-year-old Hillary Adams, shows her father, Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams, whipping her with a belt for downloading music when she was 16 (full video, requires login). 'F*****g computers,' the judge tells his now ex-wife on the video. 'I told you I didn't want one in the god damn house. See all the problems they cause?' Hey, when a problem comes along, you must Whip It, right? Judge Adams issued a statement asserting that his daughter released the tape to retaliate against him for withdrawing his financial support. 'If the public must know, just prior to the YouTube upload, a concerned father shared with his 23-year-old daughter that he was unwilling to continue to work hard and be her primary source of financial support, if she was going to simply 'drop out' [from college] and strive to achieve no more in life than to work part time at a video-game store,' said the statement released by Adams' attorney.

'If the public must know, just prior to the YouTube upload, a concerned father shared with his 23-year-old daughter that he was unwilling to continue to work hard and be her primary source of financial support, if she was going to simply 'drop out' [from college] and strive to achieve no more in life than to work part time at a video-game store,' said the statement released by Adams' attorney."

Because she had motivation to release the tape, that nullifies what he did? Wow, attorneys can be real assholes.