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Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Law - New Hampshire has its own version of Tail Hook

This today from an editorial in the Nashua (NH) Telegraph (thanks to How Appealing):

Instead of trying to hang on to his job, Judge Franklin Jones of the Rochester District Court should resign. Failing that, the state Supreme Court should give him the boot.

We realize it’s hard to give up a $116,000-a-year job and the possibility of a generous state pension with about five more years of service on the bench.

But the judge gave himself a black eye when he got drunk and groped five women during an after-hours social at a conference on sexual assault and domestic violence last May at the Mount Washington Hotel.

That was the same conference that led to Attorney General Peter Heed being forced out of office for unbecoming behavior on the dance floor. In Heed’s case, no woman filed a formal complaint. On the other hand, one woman made known her objections to Jones’ behavior. * * *

Jones is currently suspended without pay and the Judicial Conduct Committee is weighing appropriate sanctions.

However, some of the women who were groped are dismayed by some professionals in law enforcement, including prosecutors and police officers, who testified for Jones’ reinstatement, based on his record as a fair-minded jurist. Some of these professionals often appear in Jones’ court.

The judge has said he’s sorry about what happened, but that one incident shouldn’t be the end of an otherwise blemish-free career. * * *

Yes, it’s regrettable that a few too many drinks will terminate a lengthy judicial career but, in the private sector, groping women’s breasts and buttocks at a job-related conference would be grounds for dismissal.

No less should be considered for someone whose job is to pass judgment on others, including the occasional drunk accused of a serious crime.

The Jones case is also a test of how well the judiciary can police itself. Letting Jones get off lightly would show that the judiciary does have different standards for one of its own.

A later AP story indicates that the judge has now resigned:
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- A New Hampshire judge who was suspended for groping five women at a conference on sexual assault and domestic violence resigned on Wednesday, the same day a committee recommended he not get his job back. * * *

Late-night partying at the conference also led to Attorney General Peter W. Heeds resignation after an investigation was launched into whether he inappropriately touched a woman on the dance floor.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 26, 2005 04:50 PM
Posted to General Law Related