Baltimore County judge suspended for profane, discourteous comments

“Even if the comments were delivered in a joking manner, it is difficult to imagine a context in which such remarks would be appropriate or consistent with behavior that promotes public confidence in the impartiality and integrity of the Judiciary.”

The state's highest court today ordered the suspension of a Baltimore County judge for profane and discourteous comments that violated Maryland's judicial code of conduct.

The Court of Appeals accepted a judicial commission's recommendation that Baltimore County District Judge Bruce S. Lamdin be suspended for 30 days without pay.

In a 24-page opinion, the court said the judge's conduct -- which included disparaging remarks about drug treatment programs and the Baltimore City criminal justice system, a joke that the county's Circuit Court judges spend their afternoons sipping cocktails rather than working, and profanity not typically heard from the bench -- 'was prejudicial to the administration of justice, manifested bias toward many groups, and lacked dignity, courtesy, and patience.' Read more