The Supreme Court has denied an appeal from a former Pennsylvania judge, Mark Cohen, who sought to overturn his suspension stemming from numerous partisan Facebook posts made while on the bench, including praise for President Joe Biden and his policies. Cohen, a former Democratic state lawmaker who served on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, continued to share politically charged content even after being warned, leading to his suspension and the forfeiture of his judicial and public-service pensions. His legal team argued that the suspension violated his First Amendment rights, contending that punishing judges based on the ‘tone’ or ‘volume’ of lawful speech invites arbitrary enforcement and political interference. However, Pennsylvania’s Judicial Conduct Board countered that Cohen’s social media activity constituted ‘partisan cheerleading’ and that his suspension was a standard application of established rules for judges nationwide. The state’s highest court had previously found that the sheer volume and partisan nature of Cohen’s posts, which included endorsements of Biden’s Build Back Better legislation, declarations of Biden being an ‘excellent President,’ advocacy for higher minimum wages, opposition to abortion restrictions, and highlighting his consistent ‘F’ rating from the NRA, conveyed an appearance of being a party advocate. The Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case, without comment, effectively upholds the disciplinary action and leaves the precedent for judicial conduct on social media in place.
Adapted from: Latest Political News on Fox News
