Skip to content
NOWCAST Pittsburgh's Action News 4 at 7pm on Cozi TV
Watch on Demand
Advertisement

Dozens of misconduct complaints filed against Allegheny County judge

Dozens of misconduct complaints filed against Allegheny County judge
ANTHONY MARIANI. IN A REPORT FROM THE ABOLITIONIST LAW CENTER, THE GROUP SAYS IT FILED 62 COMPLAINTS TO THE STATE JUDICIAL CONDUCT BOARD AGAINST JUDGE ANTHONY MARIANI. THEY SAY HE ENAGED IN MISCONDUCT AND BIAS BEHAVIOR. THE 48 PAGE REPORT CENTERS ON GERALD THOMAS WHO DIED IN THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY JAIL ON A PROBATION VIOLATION. THE MEDICAL EXAMINER SAYS HE DIED OF NATURAL CAUSES. BUT THOMAS’S MOTHER SAYS ALTHOUGH THOMAS’S CHARGES WERE DISMISSED, MARIANI SENT HER SON TO JAIL AND THAT PLAYED A ROLE IN HIS DEATH. THE ABOLITIONIST LAW CENTER’S ATTORNEY WHO WROTE THE REPORT AND FILED THE COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE JUDGE SAYS "THE ROUTINE JUDICIAL MISCONDUCT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANTI-BLACK RACISM, AGEISM, BIASES AGAINST INDIVIDUALS WITH MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSES, SILENCING OF DEFENDANTS, AND VERBAL ABUSE BY JUDGE MARIANI HAS LONG BEEN AN OPEN SECRET IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY. WE HOPE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN HARMED BY HIM, OR HAVE WITNESSED HIM HARMING OTHERS, FEEL EMPOWERED TO COME FORWARD AND SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH THE JUDICIAL CONDUCT BOARD OF PENNSYLVANIA." WE REACHED OUT TO JUDGE MARIANI’
Advertisement
Dozens of misconduct complaints filed against Allegheny County judge
A legal rights group in Pittsburgh says it has filed dozens of misconduct complaints against Allegheny County Judge Anthony Mariani.In a report from the Abolitionist Law Center, the group says it filed 62 complaints to the state judicial conduct board against Judge Anthony Mariani. They say he engaged in misconduct and biased behavior.The 48-page report centers on Gerald Thomas who died in the Allegheny County Jail on a probation violation. The medical examiner says he died of natural causes.But Thomas' mother says although Thomas’ charges were dismissed, Mariani sent her son to jail and that played a role in his death.The Abolitionist Law Center's attorney who wrote the report and filed 62 complaints against the judge says quote "the routine judicial misconduct — including but not limited to anti-black racism, ageism, biases against individuals with mental health diagnoses, silencing of defendants, and verbal abuse — by Judge Mariani has long been an open secret in Allegheny County. We hope community members who have been harmed by him, or have witnessed him harming others, feel empowered to come forward and share their experiences with the judicial conduct board of Pennsylvania."Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 has reached out to Mariani's office for a response. We are waiting to hear back.

A legal rights group in Pittsburgh says it has filed dozens of misconduct complaints against Allegheny County Judge Anthony Mariani.

In a report from the Abolitionist Law Center, the group says it filed 62 complaints to the state judicial conduct board against Judge Anthony Mariani. They say he engaged in misconduct and biased behavior.

Advertisement

The 48-page report centers on Gerald Thomas who died in the Allegheny County Jail on a probation violation. The medical examiner says he died of natural causes.

But Thomas' mother says although Thomas’ charges were dismissed, Mariani sent her son to jail and that played a role in his death.

The Abolitionist Law Center's attorney who wrote the report and filed 62 complaints against the judge says quote "the routine judicial misconduct — including but not limited to anti-black racism, ageism, biases against individuals with mental health diagnoses, silencing of defendants, and verbal abuse — by Judge Mariani has long been an open secret in Allegheny County. We hope community members who have been harmed by him, or have witnessed him harming others, feel empowered to come forward and share their experiences with the judicial conduct board of Pennsylvania."

Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 has reached out to Mariani's office for a response. We are waiting to hear back.