When your Elvis obsession starts to affect your work, it might be time to take a step back.
Judge Matthew Thornhill of Missouri agreed to step down in a deal made with a state board. If approved, he would face six months of an unpaid suspension before serving on the bench for another 18 months. After that, he will resign from the St. Charles County Circuit Court.
While it’s unknown who filed the complaint, the Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline also found fault in the judge for talking about politics from the bench. There are also multiple photos of Thornhill donning an Elvis wig and plastic sunglasses to emulate the icon.
It’s worth noting that he wore the costume around Halloween, even playing Elvis’ music from his phone as an option for those swearing in. Thornhill also mentioned lyrics and the singer’s birthday and death date without any relevance.
Thornhill is said to have violated a judge’s pledge to “order and decorum” and “promote confidence in the integrity of the judiciary.”
But the judge’s biases run deeper than the King of Rock and Roll. In 2008, he was fined $750 for reducing the charges of a woman after she offered a baseball signed by Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Thornhill denied taking the baseball, which was confirmed to be fake.
