Wacko of the Week -- 10/06/07

Not a HANGING Judge, maybe, but certainly a SWINGING Judge.

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Circuit Judge

Herman Y. Thomas

Alabama

It was only last year that Judge Thomas was named a distinguished Alumnus of The University of South Alabama. Since his graduation from there in 1983, he had won a law degree from Florida State, become a district judge, and then since 1999, a Circuit Judge. CLICK

But the Judge was allegedly given to unjudicious behaviors, and this week, he resigned from the bench. In exchange, the prosecutor dropped charges against him. At least for the time being. CLICK

It was not just that he had been accused of fixing sentences, granting favors to relatives, and manipulating court dockets. Lately, he has been accused of having prisoners removed from their cells and taking them into a small room where he spanked them with a wooden paddle. (One wag has named this "Legal Lumber." ) This may have happened to "10 or 12" young men. CLICK

Now, it appears that his behavior was even more unusual. He courted the friendship of various bad actors who appeared in his court or in the jails. At least one he took fishing. Others he used for other purposes, some sexual. Those are the allegations.

So, Judge, we are proud to also declare you "distinguished": a very distinguished addition to our cadre, Wacko-of-the-Week.

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VERY HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Noel English, former Blackwater Pilot in Afghanistan.

It was revealed in Congressional hearings this week that the pilot's famous last words were: "I swear to God they wouldn't pay me if they knew how much fun this was." Whereupon, he hot-dogged the plane into a canyon wall taking several military personnel with him to his great reward. CLICK