Controversial testimony in the judicial conduct hearing of Suffolk Superior Court Justice Maria Lopez continued yesterday in the Edward Brooke Courthouse downtown.
Sitting at a long table with her lawyer, wearing a mint-green suit, coral nail polish and a skeptical expression, Lopez listened as the witness on the stand, Assistant District Attorney Leora Joseph, described a meeting between her and Lopez two years ago.
‘Judge Lopez started to scream at me she said, ‘You’re mean’…’You belong in the suburbs’ she repeated that a few times …’You have no credibility’ …’You’re very young,” Joseph testified when asked about the proceedings of a lobby conference that took place on Aug. 4, 2000.
In the formal charges against Lopez filed by the Commission on Judicial Conduct, this incident and other interchanges are listed as examples of Lopez’ exhibition of ‘bias in the discharge of her duties,’ ‘disregard of her duty to uphold the impartiality and integrity of the judiciary’ and failure ‘to be patient, courteous and dignified.’
The ethics charges arose after Lopez presided over a child molestation case in August and September of 2000. In September of that year, she sentenced Charles Horton to five years probation with certain stipulations. Horton had previously pled guilty to charges of kidnapping and several counts of assault and battery against an 11-year-old boy who he pulled into his car while dressed as a woman in November of 1999.
The district attorney’s office had previously recommended a sentence of eight to 10 years, Joseph testified yesterday.
‘We felt this case was extremely serious,’ Joseph said, citing reasons like the fact that Horton was a stranger to the child and a weapon was used.
The prosecution brought the video testimony of the child as evidence and requested, due to the confidential nature of the testimony, that the courtroom be cleared. After a heated exchange of objections and explanations, it was decided that media cameras would have to leave the courtroom but the public and press would be permitted to remain.
Media presence was the original catalyst in the case. Lopez and Horton’s defense attorney Anne Goldbach accused Joseph and the office of the district attorney of inviting the press to the first hearing and turning the Horton case into a ‘media circus.’
Yesterday, Joseph testified she had no contact with the district attorney’s press office prior to the Aug. 4 hearing other than sending limited obligatory materials.
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