Bankruptcy and DWI, Judge Arrested

I have been practicing bankruptcy law and DWI defense for some time now, and it always seems a bit difficult to explain why those two areas of the law seem to mesh for me. So when I saw a story about a bankruptcy judge being arrested for DWI, I woke up and took notice.

Massachusetts bankruptcy judge Robert Somma won’t be returning to his job. Why? He has “agreed” to leave his job to pursue other endeavors. Seems he has been off work since his arrest for DWI in February. When I first read the headline I was surprised, because lots of public officials get DWIs. At least one of the Hennepin County judges currently on the bench has received a DWI while in office. They have to take their punishment, but they are not removed from their jobs.

There were other complications in Judge Somma’s case, however. Seems that when he was arrested, he was wearing a dress. That in itself, while a bit unusual, doesn’t seem to be justification for losing his job either. Apparently he was a good judge and well liked by those who practiced in his courtroom. There’s nothing illegal or unethical about wearing a dress that I know of, although I suppose I have to concede that it could have been inappropriate.

Here’s a link to the Boston Globe story.

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