Judge Donald Marden of Augusta, ME; ethical gremlin

The State of Maine presented Joseph Dominic Russo with a law license in 1964 after he graduated from Boston University School of Law.

Judge Marden’s misconduct involves his illegal ex parte (one-sided) conversations with Kennebec County DA Maeghan Maloney that involved the criminal trial of a man charged with and convicted of raping a child.

Subsequent to the conviction, defense counsel filed an appeal that led to the reversal of the conviction. In its reversal ruling the appellate court stated in part:

“Had the conversation at issue here [ex parte] occurred in the presence of defense counsel, with an opportunity for counsel to be heard on any of the factual or legal positions presented by the DA, the asserted claim of a due process violation would hold little merit.”

In response to the reversal, defense counsel stated:

• “Every defendant has the right to an impartial judge at his trial.”
• “The appeals court was persuaded that our client was deprived of the fair process to which he was entitled.”
• “The court based their decision on our client’s due process rights and the importance of public trust and confidence in the procedures used by the courts.”

It goes without saying that Judge Marden doesn’t much give a damn how many times his misconduct causes a reversal by a higher court since no judge in Maine has ever been removed from the bench for engaging in this type of misconduct.

For additional information regarding Judge Marden’s misconduct involving his ex parte communication with DA Maeghan Maloney, visit the URL provided at the end of this article.

As we speak (ca. July 2019) Donnie continues to be employed as a Kennebec County retired visiting judge in Augusta, Maine.

Kennebec Maine DA Maeghan Maloney; ethical goblin

https://tinyurl.com/y62c49l3