Can you imagine a Judge wearing an Elvis wig in court? That happened in Missouri and has been going on for many years, but the judge is in a bit of hot water.
Judge Matthew Thornhill loved Elvis so much that he wore wigs and played the King’s music during actual court proceedings in St. Charles County Court. The longtime judge would walk into the courtroom blasting Elvis tunes from his phone and even give people the option to be sworn in while he played Elvis music. Court documents show photos of him sitting on the bench in full Elvis regalia, complete with sunglasses. The Missouri Commission on Retirement found these violated rules about courtroom decorum and judicial integrity. Thornhill said he was just trying to add some levity and help people relax, but he admitted it was a mistake.
Judicial misconduct with Elvis music forces St. Charles County judge to resign
He’s also in trouble for talking politics from the bench and asking people if they’d seen his campaign signs. It’s certainly inappropriate for a judge to offer political comments from the bench, especially those that seem like he’s using his position as a campaign tool.
The deal lets him serve a six-month unpaid suspension, work another 18 months, then retire with his full benefits. This is the same judge who got fined $750 back in 2008 for reducing charges after someone offered him a signed Terry Bradshaw football that turned out to be fake.
Doing an Elvis impersonation in the courtroom in Missouri is one thing, but giving favorable judgments for a bribe is another. Not only are both courtroom decorum violations, but they are highly inappropriate, leaning toward serious misconduct on the part of the judge.
The forced retirement is pending approval
The Judge who wore an Elvis wig during Missouri court proceedings is being offered what equates to a forced retirement. This retirement has been approved by the state board but is still pending approval by the Missouri Supreme Court. The court has agreed to accept 35 letters in support of Thornhill’s character, which could work in his favor.
Is adding a bit of levity to a serious situation really so bad?
Whether Thornhill was taking a page from the popular television series Night Court, or he came up with the idea of wearing the Elvis wig and playing the performer’s music on his own, is uncertain. What is certain is that he intended to bring some levity to the situation and help people in the courtroom relax. Being in court, regardless of position during arguments, judgments, sentencing, or any other part of the process, can be unnerving and cause serious anxiety. Still, the way that Thornhill went about this was unacceptable, at least in Missouri, and that is why he’s in the hot seat.
“I now recognize that this could affect the integrity and solemnity of the proceedings.”
– Judge Matthew Thornhill
Who complained about a judge wearing an Elvis wig during court proceedings in Missouri?
Online records don’t name the complainant who caused this disciplinary action, but that is how things got going. It brings into question whether or not many people would actually complain about a judge acting this way. Some who have a complaint against another and want a judge to take things seriously might consider these actions to be juvenile and absurd, especially in a court of law. Still, it was meant to be a little bit of fun and could help make everything a bit more comfortable. It’s pretty easy to see both sides of the coin on this one, but a courtroom is supposed to be a solemn and serious place.
The judge wasn’t quite doing his job right
It’s up to the judge in any courtroom to maintain order and decorum during court proceedings. That’s pretty difficult to do when the judge is the one wearing an Elvis wig, wearing sunglasses, and entering the courtroom to Elvis’s music. Additionally, Thornhill was known to swear in people using Elvis’s music, if they chose, and he was known to make references to lyrics or important dates in Elvis’s life, which weren’t relevant to the court cases at hand. It’s easy to see how some people in the court might become annoyed by these antics.
While the Elvis judge might be fun and funny, such antics belong in sitcoms that we can enjoy in the evenings, not in an actual courtroom. Thornhill will receive his full retirement despite having a history of inappropriate, although mostly unharmful, behavior for many years.
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