Philadelphia judge receives unpaid suspension for his political posts on Facebook

HARRISBURG, 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.”

“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.

Scolforo is an Associated Press reporter in the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg.

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