Take, for instance, ex-cop Shamus (often called shameless) McCafferty who somehow
was elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He voluntarily left the high court after 234 pornographic e-mails and dirty jokes were found on his state-owned computer. His wife, who also was a lawyer, and worked for her husband, chalked up $1.2 million in finders’ fees by referring lucrative law cases to other law firms.
Then there was Judge Bernard Avellino who reduced rape charges down to 30 days in jail because the victim was so ugly. If fact, he called her “coyote ugly . . . no man would want to
rape her.”
But no judge was quite as ridiculously unqualified and shameless as former traffic court judge as Willie Singletary.
Traffic court judges do not need a law degree and are usually loyal party hacks. No one knows why Willie ran for the job, especially since he owed $11,000 in unpaid traffic tickets and had a suspended driver’s license. Oh yeah, he owed thousands in unpaid child support.
And another thing, Willie solicited money from a motorcycle club for his election, by reminding them that if elected, he could fix their tickets.
Willie was probably elected because a drawing placed his name at the top of the ballot.
It’s hard to believe, but Willie’s “Willy” got him tossed off traffic court. Willie was so proud of his erect “Willy” that he took photos of it and showed it to a female court employee. “Like that? Do, you like that?” the proud jurist reportedly asked the shocked woman. She went to police and soon Singletary was in hot water. The state Judicial Conduct Board investigated the matter.
In a written report, that provided much humorous material for comedian John Oliver and newspapers, the board wrote: “We hold that a judge who grooms his penis for photography” did it on purpose not accidentially, as Willie asserted.
Willie, who is also hallelujah-shouting, Bible-thumping preacher, was in much deeper trouble. Along with the other Philadelphia Traffic Court judges he was under FBI scrutiny for ticket fixing. He brought a flock of his religious followers to federal court but his pious preaching could not save him from a two-year prison sentence for lying to the FBI.