No Discipline Case for Judge Facing Environmental Charges
As his lawyer proclaimed the innocence of a longtime Maryland judge charged in a criminal environmental dumping case, bar authorities said there is no immediate plan to pursue disciplinary charges against Baltimore District Judge Askew Gatewood Jr.
Attorney John Dougherty says that Gatewood is innocent of the charges against him, and that the case will not affect his service on the state court bench, reports the Baltimore Sun.
“The court will let the legal process work. Judge Gatewood has been a judge for more than 23 years. These charges do not relate to his performance on the bench,” says Darrell Pressley, a spokesman for the state judiciary.
As discussed in an earlier ABAJournal.com post, Gatewood is accused of having arranged to dump tons of construction debris as landfill along the waterfront edge of a vacation home. If proven, this conduct reportedly would violate environmental laws and planning and permitting requirements.
