A Robe Is A Robe

Staff Writer

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As a kid, we would see bagpipe players wearing skirts and often joke about what they were wearing underneath. Sometimes in the practice of law, I have seen judges jokingly remark that they no longer had to worry about their suit selection because of the covering of the robe.

Apparently, an Oklahoma Judge took the covering of a robe to a criminal activity. Recently, an Oklahoma jury convicted former Judge Donald Thompson on four counts of indecent exposure because of evidence that demonstrated that he had used a sexual device called a "Penis Pump" while presiding over his trials. The jury recommended one year in prison and a $10,000 fine for each count.

We hold our judges to a high standard of conduct and would be surprised by any individual that would be guilty of such allegations. This kind of criminal conviction deals a blow to the credibility of the judicial system. Meanwhile, this former judge will now be required to register as a sex offender and could jeopardize his $7,489.91 a month pension from the state, according to the Associated Press release. If he did these actions, does this also mean that he abused his discretion in his judicial capacity?