Maine’s top judges are weighing the fate of one of their own. The Supreme Judicial Court heard arguments on Friday on whether former York County Probate Judge Robert Nadeau should be barred from the bench for judicial misconduct.
Nadeau, who last year lost a bid for re-election, has been sanctioned twice before. Now he is under review for several alleged actions in recent years, including blacklisting former associates from serving as court-appointed lawyers, ordering a subordinate to destroy an email and stalling court cases in retaliation when county commissioners turned down his request for more paid work days.
“Whatever his merits as a judge may be, former Judge Nadeau is a person who is given to bouts of impetuosity and vindictiveness,” says Cabanne Howard, who is prosecuting the case for the state committee on judicial responsibility.
The committee is calling for a $10,000 fine against Nadeau and permanent suspension from the probate court should Nadeau ever try to run again.
Nadeau argued that he was responding appropriately to the county court’s growing caseload, but he also acknowledged that he fell short and apologized to the justices.
Chief Justice Leigh Saufley critiqued Nadeau for being intemperate, but no decision was immediately issued.