Pennsylvania Judge Banned from Bench for Absenteeism, Rude Remarks
A Pennsylvania judge who missed 116 days of work over a two-year period has been banned from the bench.
Judge Maryesther Merlo of Allentown plans to appeal to the state supreme court, report the Allentown Morning Call and the Associated Press. The Court of Judicial Discipline permanently removed Merlo from the bench after a hearing Monday in which she called character witnesses and testified on her own behalf.
The Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline issued an opinion this summer that found Merlo’s attendance record was “beyond egregious.” She was also accused of belittling litigants and lawyers. Among the accusations: She referred to one juvenile defendant as a “dog who needed to be retrained” and forced another defendant to call himself a “scumbag.”
Prior coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Ethics Opinion Raps Pa. Judge for ‘Beyond Egregious’ Attendance Record”
ABAJournal.com: “Pa. Supreme Court Upholds Its Own Suspension of Allegedly ‘Nasty, Rude, Erratic, Strange’ Judge”
