The state’s Judicial Conduct Board has filed charges against a Lehigh County magisterial district judge accused of frequently not showing up for work on time or at all, and improper judicial demeanor, including “nasty” and “irrational” mood swings.
A 33-page notice filed against Maryesther S. Merlo last week focused solely on the amount of time she spent away from the court and her in-court behavior — she allegedly told an attorney to “shut up,” threatened to hold another in contempt of court and called a criminal defendant a “scumbag.”
