“Never in a million years did I think our justice system was like this,” one mother said. “Never did I think that judges were doing this and getting away with it.”
The case against Younge reveals a rare glimpse inside the operations of a family court, which are not often made public, and highlights how judges who demonstrate malfeasance and fail to be impartial can harm people at their most emotionally fraught. Family advocacy groups have called for more training of family court judges and officials in recent years, saying some are simply assigned to such cases and don’t understand the delicate dynamics involved.
For Younge’s conduct, the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline last month suspended her for six months without pay. The court’s top judge wrote a scathing opinion, noting that her punishment falls just short of the most severe penalty for a judge — removal from office — because that generally involves criminal conviction.
“The Court views this case as the most egregious one involving rude demeanor, failure to timely proceed and imperious action it has seen,” President Judge Jazelle Jones wrote.
Two judges disagreed with the suspension as a slap on the wrist, with one writing that Younge should have been permanently removed after “she caused one disaster after another.”
Source: ‘One disaster after another’: How a family court judge failed families