Top Court Temporarily Bans Senior Judge Due to Wife-Assault Case
A senior Pennsylvania judge who formerly served as the president judge of Perry County has been banned from the bench by the state supreme court’s chief justice while he resolves a personal criminal case. It concerns allegations that he choked his wife in an alcohol-fueled rage at their Luzerne County home over the weekend.
C. Joseph Rehkamp, 61, retired in 2008 but had still been active as a senior judge, recently hearing cases in Luzerne County. He is presently free without bail pending a preliminary hearing, reports the Patriot-News.
He is represented by attorney William Costopoulos, who did not respond to the newspaper’s requests for comment. However, a subsequent Sentinel article reports that Costopoulos hopes to resolve the situation by next month, when a Feb. 16 preliminary hearing is scheduled.
His client is a good judge and is distressed about the situation, says Costopoulos. Asked whether it will damage Rehkamp’s ability to serve on the bench he pointed out that the case is far from a public corruption charge.
“It is what it is, and I don’t believe that his credibility as a jurist has been forever damaged,” the attorney says. “I happen to believe that on many levels it could make him a better person and a better judge.”
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Senior Judge Is Charged with Choking Wife in Domestic Dispute”
Updated on Jan. 21 to include information from subsequent Sentinel article.
