Judge who was 'disrespectful' to lawyer and 'ridiculed' defendant gets 5-day suspension
A Maryland judge who was “disrespectful, dismissive and intemperate” to a attorney in one case and “mocked and ridiculed” a defendant and his fiancee in another has been suspended from the bench for five days by the state’s top court.
Baltimore City Circuit Judge Lynn Stewart Mays, who sits in Baltimore, must also complete a two-year monitoring period and meet with a mentor, the Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday, the Baltimore Sun reports.
In the first case, Mays got into a dispute with a defense attorney appearing before her, threatening her with a night and jail and then saying: “You cannot continuously argue with the court! Because you’re going to lose! … You know why? One, I’m the judge. Two, I’m the judge. Three, I’m the judge.”
In the other case, Mays adopted a disparaging tone with the defendant after he stopped responding to her questions, and went on to list psychiatric institutions he could be taken to, the Sun reported. Mays then started a discussion with a woman in the courtroom who identified herself as the defendant’s fiancee, asking her where her engagement ring was. The woman told Mays that they couldn’t afford one.
“It really was a question of demeanor and civility,” said the judge’s lawyer, Andrew Jay Graham, pointing out that the judge’s decisions had not been called into question.
Updated Oct. 23 to add more details from the Baltimore Sun.
