An Arapahoe County district choose who did not disclose an extramarital affair with a clerk and confronted a sexual harassment grievance has resigned from the bench.
District Choose John E. Scipione stepped down as a part of an settlement with the Colorado Fee on Judicial Self-discipline, which was investigating Scipione for violating the Colorado Code of Judicial Conduct, in response to courtroom paperwork filed with the Colorado Supreme Court docket.
Scipione’s resignation “resolves the deserves of the alleged rule violations,” in response to a courtroom discover filed Thursday and signed by Christopher Gregory, government director of the Colorado Fee on Judicial Self-discipline.
As a part of the formal inquiry, Scipione admitted to a year-long extramarital affair, when he was a Justice of the Peace, with a courtroom clerk, in response to courtroom paperwork. There have been additionally claims of sexual harassment in opposition to Scipione wherein he referred to a second judicial assistant “utilizing a derogatory time period” and that he “overtly mentioned his involvement in an ‘various life-style.’ ”
The preamble of the Colorado Code of Judicial Conduct states: “Judges ought to keep the dignity of judicial workplace always and keep away from each impropriety and the looks of impropriety of their skilled and private lives.”
On at the very least three events, Scipione “used his place as a judicial officer to hunt intimate relationships with Judicial Division staff or courtroom personnel,” the submitting mentioned.
Scipione was appointed to the 18th Judicial District Court docket bench in September 2018. He served as a Justice of the Peace in Arapahoe County from 2012 to 2017. He didn’t disclose the affair when the utilized to develop into a district choose, a failure to adjust to courtroom requirements and procedures.
“Choose Scipione admits to knowingly partaking in conduct that violated Canon Guidelines,” in response to the Stipulation for Decision of Formal Proceedings submitting.
“Individually, Choose Scipione contacted one other choose and that choose’s probate clerk in a unique jurisdiction to hunt favorable remedy in probate proceedings involving Choose Scipione’s father’s property,” the submitting mentioned.
On Aug. 4, Scipione was suspended quickly with pay after a request from the fee. The stipulation settlement requires Scipione to obtain a written public censure from the state Supreme Court docket.
Gov. Jared Polis will appoint a alternative to the bench, mentioned Rob McCallum, spokesman for the Colorado Judicial Department.
Throughout his time on the district bench, the September 2019 lawsuit filed by the 2 oldest kids of late Broncos proprietor Pat Bowlen in opposition to their father’s appointed trustees was earlier than Scipione. The lawsuit was dismissed.
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