Background: The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas (Google Maps). Inset: Judge Michael Fanning (The First Judicial District of Pennsylvania).
A Pennsylvania man who serves as a family court judge has been placed on leave since being accused of assaulting his own family.
Judge Michael Fanning, 60, has served on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas since 2014 as a family court judge. This week, he found himself on the other side of the bench when police said he assaulted his wife and 30-year-old daughter on Monday at the couple”s home in East Torresdale, Pennsylvania, according to reporting by The Philadelphia Inquirer. He was arrested and released on $200,000 unsecured bail, but was ordered not to have any contact with the family members he allegedly attacked.
Local news radio station KYW reported that Fanning was suspended without pay from his position at the court on Thursday. A court spokesperson told KYW, “The court moved expeditiously to restrict Judge Fanning’s access to the building and immediately reassigned all his cases.”
According to courtroom reporting by The Philadelphia Inquirer, prosecutors said Fanning punched his wife in the face several times before throwing her to the floor and strangling her. Fanning also allegedly pulled his daughter down to the ground by her hair, which caused an injury to her face.
A bail magistrate issued an emergency protection-from-abuse order against Fanning on Tuesday, ordering him not to have any contact with his wife or daughter. The magistrate told Fanning during the hearing that if he violated those terms or appeared in court for another domestic violence case, she would increase his bail to $1 million.
Fanning pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault, two counts each of simple assault and recklessly endangering a person, and strangulation. His next court date was scheduled for March 25.
