(1) Maintaining a "Book of Grudges" about individuals who appeared before her, including a lawyer she referred to as "Just a Dick."
(2) Maintaining a desk calendar with explicit sexual messages like "Bedroom Pants He'll Have to Slide Through If He Wants That Pussy."
(3) Denying a Defendant his Constitutional right to hear the evidence against him or to cross-examine the victim.
(4) Rude behavior to a county employee: "I am the judge, and you are just the fucking secretary." She also used profanity such as "cuntrageous" in courtroom settings.
(5) Numerous late arrivals and absences, which obviously denies litigants the right to a prompt disposition.
(6) Conducting Zoom hearings without authorization.
Zanelli is represented by Sam Stretton, the go-to lawyer for lawyers and judges accused of ethical or judicial misconduct. Instead of addressing these accusations on the merits, Attorney Stretton has filed a petition that would place her in what is known as a "diversionary program." But as he himself concedes, nothing in the Rules of Procedure for Judicial Discipline establish such a program. The program envisioned, I imagine, is similar to accelerated rehabilitative dispositions for first offenders accused on minor crimes.
In this petition, filed January 29, Stretton states that a psychiatrist retained by the Judicial Conduct Board has examined Zanelli and identified "certain issues be addressed" in any course of treatment. Based on that report, Zanelli has been seeing a psychologist who will testify that she has been making "excellent progress." He avers that she's a prime candidate for diversion and wants a hearing to make his case.
Strangely, he denies that she has a mental health disability. I believe his own petition suggests otherwise.
In the meantime, Zanelli has been sued in federal court by Francis Oran, who alleges that he appeared before her on several driving suspension cases and was found guilty even though the state court that imposed this suspension ultimately reversed itself. He also claims that she imposed fines without conducting required ability-to-pay hearings. He contends his "experience was not the result of isolated judicial error but reflects a systemic pattern of unconstitutional conduct toward unrepresented litigants ... ." Unfortunately for Oran, he remains unrepresented in his federal lawsuit.
Stretton's petition for some kind of diversionary treatment is novel, but I suggest that she needs to step down while she gets whatever treatment she needs. I've been covering her for years, and while I'm no shrink, I can categorically state that she's cuckoo for cocoa puffs and has been for some time. I've been warning you about her since 2105 with these stories:
Finnigan Henpecked Over Hanover Fowl Ban (She appeared before Hanover's Board of Supervisors, seeking a change in a ban on backyard chickens. There's nothing unusual about that, but what was totally bizarre to me was that she insisted on flashing her badge as a NorCo Human Services caseworker..)
Why You Need to Vote For Dennis Pearson For LC Comm'r (In this story about her primary campaign for LC Comm're, I tell you that she was once employed in NJ's Child Protective Services, but was fired in 2012 because she refused to return to work after receiving a number of leaves of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Though she refused to work, she dropped in on her office one day to deliver Avon products to co-workers. Zanelli appealed her termination and lost. She told me she was a victim of discrimination.)
LC Comm'r Race: Candidate Chicken Lady Cries Fowl (In an email to me, before blocking me, Zanelli claimed she had been "exonerated" In Jersey. That is pure horse shit).
>Judicial Candidate Amy Zanelli Supports Looting, Lies About Being Fired (When running for MDJ, Zanelli actually stated that looting was an appropriate response to slavery. Say what? And she also took me to task for pointing out her termination in Jersey and later, in NorCo. She called them "false accusations and fake news. With that said, this would not be the first time in history that an intelligent, well-spoken, beautiful woman has intimidated a man who then feels the need to spread rumors and lies in an attempt to tear her down." The problem with her denial is that her own lawyer actually admitted that she was terminated in Jersey, appealed, and lost her appeal. She was also terminated in NorCo, as per her own lawyer in a custody dispute.)
Zanelli Embellished Her Social Work in Jersey (When running for MDJ, she told a fawning Josh Popichak that her "ability to see things others didn't led me to go into investigative work on a state level for the State of New Jersey. ,,, I specialized in sex crimes and homicides and abuse and neglect for children ... ." She was a caseworker, not Phillip Marlowe. She also claimed she had to move her because she had been targeted by the bad guys).
Amy Zanelli's Nonjudicial Behavior in Custody Trial (While running for MDJ, Zanelli was in the middle of a custody battle. This is how then President Judge Michael J Koury, Jr., characterized her demeanor: "Mother's demeanor varied from happy to openly hostile. ... Mother repeatedly referred to the custody trial as a 'circus.' ... Mother accused opposing counsel of 'play[ing] semantics and stated that her questioning was 'crap.'")
MDJ Candidate Amy Zanelli Kicked Out of Fountain Hill Pool (While running for MDJ, she was ejected from Fountain Hill's Pool for interjecting herself when a manager admonished some unruly teens).
Zanelli Neglected Children in Jersey, But Wants to Be a Judge (Here I append a New Jersey rejection of her appeal from her termination as a caseworker. Incidentally, The Morning Call had this information as well, but refused to publish it. I guess the paper lacked the desire to do its job, which is to cast a glaring spotlight on public officials)
Amy "Karen" Zanelli Detests Three-on-Three Hoops (In August 2019, she summoned police over a group of minors playing three-on-three hoops, with Latin music playing. Police took no action).
Why was Amy Zanelli Fired in Northampton County (She was a probationary caseworker who did not want to work.)
Magisterial District Judge Amy Zanelli Under Investigation By Judicial Conduct Board (This is when I told you, in September '24, that she was under investigation.)
Despite clear evidence that she's a wackadoodle, she was pushed by former LC Exec Tom Muller when she ran for County Comm'r. And that board actually made her their Chair. Then, when she ran for MDJ, she was pushed by outfits like LV4ALL (who agree with us) because she checked the right boxes as a gay woman who supports progressive causes. The dying news media either ignored information handed to them (Morning Call) or drooled over her (Saucon Source).
She was elected in a district that only elects Democrats. That same district just re-elected her successor to LC's Board of Commissioners, Zach Cole-Borgi.
11 comments:
Thank you for the update Bernie, and explaining what the procedural process is. Diversion doesn’t seem likely here, there was a recent ruling about a different judge , Stretton
( great attorney) lost the case and now a new legal precedent called the “ Cohen Precedent “ exists in Pennsylvania State law. It essentially means that if the judge brought any level of disrepute to the judiciary, Diversion is not optional. The precedent sets a standard that an individual judge’s mental health does not weigh more heavily than thr integrity of the whole Judiciary.
I can not imagine the JCB would allow Zanelli a chance to rehabilitate ( especially when there’s so many discrepancies) is she mentally ill or isn’t she???
If not, what are they treating? If so, she has already brought tremendous disrepute to the bench. While there’s a new lawsuit started in the middle of all of this, claiming the same problem procedural and civil rights violations, the Conduct Board would really look weak and possibly corrupt, if they allow her to retain her seat. Her re-electability is shot! She should resign. Her poor kid is already in the spotlight.
She is perfect for tRUMP's DOJ.
I can fix her...
And she's not the worst judge in the area; not even close.
Amazingly, she's even worse in real life than you portray her. It's a disgrace that she isn't quitting after being caught establishing a "Book of Grudges". That is, possibly, the least judicial thing someone can do.
Gotta love the crazy one's.
She was elected in a district that only elects democrats wow must be a lot of assholes their
While I agree that this wacko judge is clearly unfit and needs to step down, my real concern is for those litigants, represented or pro se, who have had their constitutional rights violated.
This magistrate may have been caught, but I can tell you firsthand that such violations happen routinely, here in Northampton County and across the state of Pennsylvania.
These robed violators may not have "grudge books" but they do exhibit a lazy disregard for due process and constitutional rights. Its systemic. The problem is that those who know don't care, and those who care often lack the knowledge and experience to put up a fight.
The sad part is many litigants no longer expect to get a fair shake when going to court. They enter the system knowing judges like Amy Zanelli are peppering our courts and that watching the watchers.
In my experience, a pro se litigant is almost always an impediment. First, he usually knows far less than he thinks he does. Second, he bogs down the system with unnecessary paperwork and motions. Third, he usually has or develops a personal animus for the judges or the entire system. Fourth, courts often bend over so much to help them that it is actually unfair to a represented party. If you can afford it, you should always hire a lawyer. If you can't then you should apply for one.
The feds are a lot stricter than the state with pro se litigants so I expect that Oran's suit will get chucked, not bc it lacks merit, but bc he does not know what he is doing. And it may lack merit, from what I've read.
Having said all of this, I'll agree there are bad judges just as there are bad people in any profession or business. I'm no expert, but Zanelli is in my view mentally ill and I believe it affects her judgment. I'm all for treatment, but she should not be hearing any cases until she is completely recovered.
I believe that voters often just vote the party, not the name, without doing much research. That happens with both parties. When Steve Lynch ran for NorCo Exec, he attracted a lot of R votes, and he was off the hook.
Bernie, I will agree with you in part that many pro se litigants perform terribly. But consider that someone without any actual legal experience will only improve and learn by reading briefs and opinions and, most importantly, actually litigating issues and paying attention what judges say and what they write.
The larger issue I see is that even when a pro se litigant performs well, dotting the i's, crossing the t's, and not overreaching in their arguments, the courts still do not take them seriously.
Why? Because most legal processes take far more time and effort for a pro se litigant. These judges know that they can play fast and loose with the law because the chance of a pro se making some procedural error, missing a deadline, or failing to know or understand one the many applicable procedural rules is very very very high. Knowing these simple truths makes it easy to take the lazy approach to law and simply disregard valid claims and legal issues.
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