I know I was going to break the posts into individual opinions/orders, but there haven’t been any criminal opinions yet… so…
Attorney Grievance (“Officers of the Court”)
ATTORNEY GRIEVANCE COMMISSION OF MARYLAND v. MARK EDWARD HUNT
Court of Appeals, Filed Oct. 1, 2013,
http://www.mdcourts.gov/opinions/coa/2013/1a12ag.pdf
Hunt was a former IRS official that admitted “accepting bribes in exchange for confidential taxpayer information and other criminal acts…” but didn’t include this on his bar application despite having been informed by a federal agent that charges were imminent. He was eventually indicted, at which point he informed the AGC and was disbarred after a hearing.
ATTORNEY GRIEVANCE COMMISSION OF MARYLAND v. DANIEL QUINN MAHONE
Court of Appeals, Filed Sept. 29, 2013,
http://www.mdcourts.gov/opinions/coa/2013/35a11ag.pdf
Mahone entered a courtroom, was removed after failing to follow the directions of the bailiff, attempted to re-enter, got into a “door handle tugging match” with a deputy, “attempt[ed] to use his position as an attorney to his benefit, repeatedly stating, ‘I ‘m an officer of the court’ and threatening to sue while refusing to comply with the explicit directives of the Bailiff and Deputies,” “made slight, unintentional physical contact with Deputy Milam in his effort to regain entry into the courtroom,” did not submit to authority of deputy when informed he was being placed under arrest, when the deputy tried to take hold of him, Mahone “pulled away from Deputy Milam and was forced to the ground. [Mahone] struggled. Deputy Milam warned [Mahone] that if [Mahone] did not stop his resistance that pepper spray would be used, at which point [Mahone] stopped any resistance and was placed in handcuffs.” Mahone refused to provide identification upon arrest and referred to the arresting officer as a “nazi.”
So sayeth the Court of Appeals: Well, he apologized to the judge, so suspended 30 days.
They would have let him off with a reprimand, but “[t]hat he has once before been reprimanded for in-court or court-related improper conduct disqualifies him for that sanction.”
And there’s nothing at all unreasonable about that…