Allegheny

Allegheny County Judge Tranquilli denied back-pay; barred from seeking judicial office

Paula Reed Ward
By Paula Reed Ward
1 Min Read Nov. 19, 2020 | 5 years Ago
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Former Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Mark V. Tranquilli will not receive any of his withheld salary during his three-month suspension.

That sanction was part of an order handed down Thursday by the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline.

In addition, Tranquilli, who resigned the day before his misconduct trial was slated to start, is not allowed to run for judicial office again.

The order says that Tranquilli’s “resignation and pledge not to ever serve as a judge again are binding and irrevocable.”

The order brings to an end Tranquilli’s case with that body

Tranquilli, who was elected to the bench in 2013 after a long career in the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office, was accused in January of referring to a Black female juror as “Aunt Jemima” during a meeting in chambers with attorneys on the case.

The lawyers referred the incident to the Judicial Conduct Board, which launched a months-long investigation.

In August, the board filed a formal complaint against Tranquilli alleging six separate misconduct counts that occurred in both family and criminal court.

Included in the allegations were that he spoke in Ebonics to a Black couple involved in a custody case and that he spoke inappropriately to defendants before him.

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