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Mon 19 May, 2003 02:47 pm
Embattled judge resigns
By Associated Press, 5/19/2003
BOSTON -- Superior Court Judge Maria I. Lopez, who faced possible suspension for alleged misconduct on the bench, resigned Monday rather than face a final hearing in the ongoing review of her actions on the bench.
Lopez's resignation was announced during an afternoon news conference by her attorney, Richard Egbert, at his downtown office.
Her misconduct hearing arose from complaints about her behavior during a case in 2000.
Retired Housing Court Judge E. George Daher, who has presided over the hearing, issued a report last month saying Lopez should apologize and admit making misleading statements during the investigation of the case of Charles "Ebony" Horton.
Horton, a transgendered man, pleaded guilty to kidnapping an 11-year-old boy and holding a screwdriver to his neck.
Lopez was widely criticized after sentencing Horton to probation and house arrest, despite prosecutors' recommendation of a sentence of eight to 10 years. A videotape of her delivering a reprimand to the prosecutor during Horton's sentencing hearing was caught on video and aired repeatedly.
Daher recommended a six-month suspension but stopped short of calling for her removal.
Lopez has apologized for the courtroom outburst but denies any wrongdoing. She has said she disagreed with many of Daher's findings and continued to insist it was her light sentence of Horton, not her conduct, that touched off the criticism of her conduct.
Lopez faced a public hearing on Daher's findings on June 10.
Lopez, who became the first Hispanic woman on the state Superior Court in 1993, said during one of her few public comments on the issue, that she is held to higher standards than white male judges.
Boston Globe Online Edition
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I was born in 1953 and have seen the entire history of the fight for racial equality. I have come to understand that equality is a far deeper process that at first it might appear. We have come a long, long way. Still there are behavior traits that remind me the process is undone. Whenever there is a problem with the behavior of a person that is featured in the news, the first thing brought up is race or gender or a few other things. With this judge, the same issue is brought up. Isn't it possible that the behavior is the problem, not the gender or race? Isn't it likely that people would object to the conduct regardless? I think so in most cases. I guess the race is not won until one of the last things we think of is a persons race or gender. I am, believe me, the first person to criticize the US but in my study of history this is the only country that has made a determined effort to place all people on a equal footing. This has never been done before and I have to commend the US for this. Typing those words was like pulling my teeth out but it's true.
It about time. I firmly believe that the only reason she wasn't investigated for misconduct sooner was because people would say 'it's because she's a woman, it's because she's Hispanic'.
Her recent conduct isn't new. She's been an incompetent terror for years.
Th eproblem here in Mass. is that judges are appointed, not voted in, and they keep the job for life. They can't just be removed from the bench and I'm not sure any judges, at least in recent times, have been. It creates an environment for abuse of power, misconduct and injustice.
FIRE MARIA LOPEZ
Maria lopez should be fired, she is very unprofessional and does not know what shes doing on the bench. Im sure she can think of more words to say other than OK, HEY, YOUR KNOW WHAT, so lame and she dosent want to hear he others sides story rarely if at all.
Maybe she should take lessons from Judge Joe Brown the best judge on TV since Judge Joesph Wampler.
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