A Missouri judge has been forced to step down after presiding over his courtroom in an Elvis Presley costume. The judge struck a deal to avoid a disciplinary hearing.
In court documents, Missouri’s judicial disciplinary board said Circuit Judge Matthew Thornhill of suburban St. Louis dressed up as Presley on several occasions and played music during court proceedings. The documents included several photos of Thornhill dressed as Elvis in court.
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Thornhill, a former prosecutor who was first elected as a judge in 2006, expressed regret for his actions in a letter to the Missouri Supreme Court.
“It was my intention … to add levity at times when I thought it would help relax litigants,” he said. “I now recognize that this could affect the integrity and solemnity of the proceedings.”
What do court documents allege?
Besides dressing as Elvis, court documents also highlight other actions by Thornhill that negatively impacted the court’s “order and decorum.”
He reportedly referred to Elvis’ birthday and death during court, even though it wasn’t pertinent to the conversation. Court documents also say he cited his political affiliation and identified his favored candidates while his court was in session. Records showed that he once asked a person appearing in court if a labor union had “warmed up to Thornhill for judge.”
He later said those comments were a mistake, even though he made them during an informal conversation.
“Never did they impact a decision,” Thornhill said. “However, this was a mistake and a
failure on my part to maintain proper order and decorum.”
Thornhill had also faced criticism for offering a character letter during an adoption case. The judicial disciplinary board, the Missouri Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline of Judges, described this as an abuse of power. Thornhill agreed, saying it was “a mistake and improper.”
What’s next for Thornhill?
Under the agreement with the disciplinary board, Thornhill will be suspended from the bench for six months without pay. After the suspension, he will serve for 18 more months before resigning from the St. Charles County Circuit Court.
“I can assure you that I will do my very best in the future to serve the people of the State of Missouri with honor and dignity,” Thornhill wrote to the state Supreme Court.
