HARRISBURG (TNS) — A state judicial conduct board has reprimanded a former district judge who had a pattern of bursting out angrily at litigants and attorneys in and around his court.
In a brief filed this week, the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board sanctioned former Cumberland County Judge Thomas A. Placey for repeated ethical violations for his failure to control his temper in court.
Placey resigned last year, so the sanctions are essentially a reprimand. According to the brief, Placey cannot serve in the court in the future.
“Former Judge Placey’s rude, loud outbursts are clearly improper and cannot be tolerated in a courtroom,” stated the brief, which was written by eight other district judges.
Placey was ordered to undergo psychological counseling as part of a probationary sanction. Placey, who has voiced contrition, sought medical help for psychological difficulties and has continued with the treatment, according to the brief.
Placey’s misconduct eroded respect for the judiciary, the brief stated.
Placey last year decided to not seek retention election for a second 10-year term. Placey had been on the county bench since 2011. Prior to that, he served as a magisterial district judge from 1997 through 2011.
