Judge Fired After Flipping Coin To Decide Case

A judge who ordered a woman to drop her pants and decided a custody dispute by flipping a coin has been removed from the bench by the Virginia Supreme Court.

The decision against Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge James Michael Shull of Gate City was unanimous. Justice Barbara Milano Keenan said the move was necessary because: "Unless our citizens can trust that judges will fairly resolve the disputes brought before our courts, and treat all litigants with dignity, our courts will lose the public's respect and confidence upon which our legal system depends."

According to the court, Shull admitted tossing a coin to determine which parent would have visitation with a child on Christmas. The judge said he was trying to encourage the parents to decide the issue themselves but admitted he was wrong.

The pants-dropping incidents, the court said, "were even more egregious."

It happened when a woman was seeking a protective order against a partner who she said had stabbed her in the leg. Shull insisted on seeing the wound so the woman dropped her pants once to display the wound, then dropped them a second time after Shull left the bench for a closer look to check whether the woman had received stitches.

A court bailiff said that after the hearing, he asked Shull, "Did you see what that lady had on?" And Shull replied: "Yeah, a black lacy thing ... it looked good, didn't it?"

Shull obviously denied making the comment. Well, at least he wasn't using a penis pump at trials like this judge.

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