Judicial News

B.C. Judge Peter Leask faces discipline for RobeRage after cursing out prosecutor during a trial

VANCOUVER -- The attorney general of British Columbia and the chief justice of the B.C. Supreme Court steered clear Thursday of criticism of a judge who swore repeatedly at a prosecutor during a drug case.

Justice Peter Leask acquitted a Hells Angels member on a cocaine trafficking charge, one day after he swore at the prosecutor during closing arguments.

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Air Force couple has child abuse hearing moved

The Air Force couple accused of child abuse had their hearing moved yesterday due to the busy schedule of a Superior Court Judge.

Capt. Michael Eric Dunlop and his wife, Kendall Rachelle Dunlop, were previously brought to court on similar charges after being accused of using children known to them in child pornography.

The first case was dropped in the fall of 2007 after the court ruled in the defense's favor after the prosecution failed to address in its complaint whether the couple had committed the acts intentionally.

The AG's Office brought new charges against the couple in January on 21 counts of child abuse.

The two have been rescheduled to appear in the courtroom of Judge Arthur Barcinas on April 2.

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Judge F. Michael Giles charged again for another RobeRage incident

Superior Court Judge F. Michael Giles of Essex County, already accused of using curse words in his courtroom, has dug a deeper hole for himself.

The Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct (ACJC) has amended a complaint filed against him earlier this year by including a second incident of cursing.

In the first incident, which occurred in April 2006, he told a lawyer who he contended interrupted proceedings in another matter, "I said get the [expletive] out of my courtroom, what the [expletive] don't you understand, shut the [expletive] up and get the [expletive] out of here. I have a meeting this afternoon."

According to the ACJC, in the second incident he cursed at a lawyer during a settlement conference last December, asking her, "Did you wake up on the wrong [expletive] side of bed?"

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Judge Karen M. Cassidy now deciding over a case of "He said, She said, He said" as Ménage à trois is now the subject of McGreevey divorce

BY NOW, SUPERIOR Court Judge Karen Cassidy's desk must have an oval-shaped dent from all the times she has banged her forehead in frustration at the McGreeveys.

Reading the paper this week may well have given the good judge a migraine.

Throughout the divorce case of Dina Matos McGreevey and Jim McGreevey, the judge has been the sole voice of sanity. She has constantly urged them to look for ways to compromise in the interests of their daughter.

To no avail, though, as we saw anew. Dina and Jim are now engaged in a truly pointless argument about whether they did or did not invite a young man into their bed. She says no, he says yes.

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Click on video below to watch Judge Cassidy in action presiding over the McGreevey divorce.