By Amaris Elliott-Engel
Of the Legal Staff
The Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline has rejected the objections that former Traffic Court Judge Willie F. Singletary filed to its findings that he had brought the judicial office into disrepute by showing photographs of his “judicial penis” on his cellphone to a Philadelphia Parking Authority contractor.
In addition to affirming his earlier findings of fact and conclusions of law, the court has set a disciplinary hearing for Singletary December 13 in Harrisburg.
While Singletary already resigned as a judge presiding over traffic tickets, the court could sanction Singletary by barring him from ever running for a judicial post again. Traffic court judges do not need to be lawyers.
Singletary contended that he did not intend to show photographs of his genitals on his phone amid displaying other photos.
When the court initially found that Singletary had committed judicial misconduct that brought the office into disrepute, the court said: "We think that the public, even those members of the public who register the lowest scores on the sensitivity index do not expect their judges to be conducting photo sessions featuring the judicial penis and then to be sending the photos over the electronic airwaves to another person," the opinion said. There is no allegation that Singletary transmitted the photographs to the complainant in the case.
Singletary served as a Traffic Court judge from January 7, 2008, until February 27, 2012.
Amaris Elliott-Engel can be contacted at 215-557-2354 or aelliott-engel@alm.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmarisTLI.
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