'Worst Day of My Life': New Judge 'Forgot' DUI on Application, Resigns
In a situation that has sparked calls for more stringent background checks on all judicial applicants for the provincial court in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, a newly appointed judge has resigned over an undisclosed conviction for driving under the influence before he ever took the bench.
Don Singleton, 48, says he simply forgot to list the 1990 drunken driving conviction on his successful application for appointment to the Grand Falls-Windsor judicial seat, according to CBC News and the Canadian Press.
Appointed to the judicial job last month, Singleton was to have begun hearing cases in February, but announced yesterday that he is resigning from the appointment. In a written statement, he described yesterday as “the worst day of my life,” CBC News reports.
After the Singleton situation arose, “I have had … a criminal record search done for every judge, and I’m pleased to say that there is no judge of the provincial court of this province who has a criminal record,” Justice Minister Tom Marshall tells CBC News.
