"But this Halloween nixing didn't seem to come from a place of hate - just a Burning Love for Elvis the Pelvis. STL Mag has coverage: A St. Charles County judge who traded his black robes for an Elvis jumpsuit is being forced into retirement-and his mania for The King is partly to blame. Disciplinary charges accuse Judge Matthew Thornhill dressing like Elvis Presley in court on Halloween, making Elvis references in court, and even playing Elvis tunes in his courtroom."
"As part of an agreement with the Missouri Supreme Court's Commission on Retirement, Removal, and Discipline, Thornhill will serve a six-month unpaid suspension. After that, he'll be allowed to return for an 18-month stint, but must retire after that and promise to never seek reelection, a deal that allows him to retire with 20 years of service. Missouri judges who are at least 62 years old and have served 20 years can retire with full benefits."
"Not only was this clearly because of the holiday, Halloween fell on a Friday this year. You're forcing a guy to retire for what he wore on casual Friday?! So much for judges being able to set the local rules for their courtrooms! A New York judge recently granted counsel the option of wearing costumes to work for Halloween a couple of days in advance - maybe Thornhill's mistake was that he didn't give folks a heads-up."
A St. Charles County judge dressed in an Elvis jumpsuit in court on Halloween, made Elvis references, and played Elvis tunes in his courtroom. Disciplinary charges led to a negotiated six-month unpaid suspension, followed by an 18-month return before mandatory retirement and a promise never to seek reelection, a deal that preserves retirement benefits by reaching 20 years of service. Missouri judges aged 62 with 20 years served qualify for full benefits. The Halloween costume incident occurred on a Friday and drew criticism about courtroom decorum, with a contrasting example of a New York judge allowing counsel to wear costumes.
Read at Above the Law
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