SafeX Pro|Philadelphia judge receives unpaid suspension for his political posts on Facebook

2025-05-06 15:34:41source:TAIM Exchangecategory:My

HARRISBURG,SafeX Pro Pa. (AP) — A Philadelphia family court judge has been suspended without pay for the last three months of his time on the bench after the Court of Judicial Discipline determined his politically charged social media posts violated jurists’ behavioral standards.

The court on Monday imposed the punishment against Common Pleas Judge Mark B. Cohen, who before he became a judge spent more than four decades as a Democratic state representative.

The opinion and order faulted Cohen’s “actions in repeatedly posting items on the internet reflecting his political views even after being warned not to do so.”

Cohen’s lawyer, Sam Stretton, said Tuesday that he plans to appeal to the state Supreme Court. He described Cohen as a compulsive reader and very knowledgeable person, and that his blog posts about public issues were revised to end endorsements of candidates after he became a judge more than six years ago.

“I think it’s important for judges to be able to speak out in a reserved way as long as they don’t talk about cases in their courthouse, things of that nature,” Stretton said.

In an opinion issued in May, the court listed dozens of Cohen’s Facebook posts, including posts that said President Joe Biden “has proven to be an excellent president,” expressed support for Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s tactics in an impeachment proceeding, and issued a “plea for more domestic spending and less military spending.”

RELATED COVERAGE In Philadelphia, Chinatown activists rally again to stop development. This time, it’s a 76ers arenaOn Football: It’s early enough for NFL coaches on the hot seat to cool criticism with a few winsVoting gets underway in Pennsylvania, as counties mail ballots and open satellite election offices

“Judge Cohen sits as a representative of all judges in Pennsylvania and has a duty to refrain from causing members of the public to question whether judges generally act on such strident beliefs as he expresses,” the court wrote in May.

Cohen is 75 years old, the age limit for judges, so Stretton said his time as a judge will end when his suspension does on Dec. 31.

More:My

Recommend

11 highlights from Trump's Time Person of the Year interview

Washington — President-elect Donald Trump was namedTime magazine's Person of the Year on Thursday, t

Savannah Chrisley Shares Mom Julie “Fell Apart” Amid Recent Cancer Scare

Savannah Chrisley is opening up about her mom's health.The 26-year-old shared her mom Julie Chrisley

Lab leader pleads no contest to manslaughter in 2012 Michigan meningitis deaths

The co-founder of a specialty pharmacy that was at the center of a deadly national meningitis outbre