Judge Tranquilli election materials from 2013, Image via northpghpolitics.blogspot.com
Remember the judge in Pennsylvania that allegedly called a juror Aunt Jemima? It made news way back in February, which seems a lot more than a few months ago, back before even the multimillion-dollar brand of Aunt Jemima syrup came to the realization that the term was racist AF. Given the increased awareness of the history of the term, it’s probably no surprise that the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board is seeking a suspension of Judge Mark Tranquilli.
The headline grabbing incident is when he allegedly asked as assistant district attorney why he’d selected a Black woman for the jury, saying, “You weren’t out of strikes when you decided to put Aunt Jemima on the jury.” But, as tends to be the way in cases like this, Tranquilli is alleged to have said a slew of problematic things. According to the ethics charges, available in full below, Tranquilli also allegedly said during a custody hearing that he didn’t care about the couple’s children and he would “split [the couple’s] baby in half like Solomon and sleep like a baby that night.” He allegedly went on to describe what he expected in terms of communication thusly, “When I say communication, I don’t mean ‘and den da bitch done dis, and den da bitch done dat.’”
But, wait! There’s more! During a sentencing hearing he allegedly said:
“Are you familiar with the phrase, if you lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas? … So now you have laid down twice with dogs, but you have woken up with two lovely children, probably two lovely children I’m betting you were probably not planning on. And for the cost of three shiny quarters in any bathroom in any rest stop in Pennsylvania, you probably could have gone a different direction.”
At that same hearing he also allegedly went off about his lack of compassion:
“I was a [prosecutor] for 20 years, and for the last 13 years, all I did was dead body cases, dead body, dead body, dead body. For the last eight years, I ran the homicide unit. If I had a nickel for every picture of a dead person I looked at on my desk while I was eating a turkey sandwich, I could retire right now and be a rich man. As a result of these experiences, there is no milk of human kindness left in these veins. It is just too much death. So what that means for you is, the take away is this: If I ever see you again in my courtroom for a probation violation, the story ends with you in a red jumpsuit.”
And at a different sentencing hearing, Tranquilli allegedly told a defendant, “So if you don’t show up in 30 days, you have violated my probation, and I’m going to cast you down against the Sodomites, all right, in state prison.”
Not too surprising then that the ethics complaint says the judge failed to promote public confidence in the judiciary; manifested bias or prejudice in the performance of his duties; and failed to conduct himself in a patient, dignified, and courteous manner. Tranquilli was previously placed on administrative duties after the complaints about his behavior first came to light.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).