By Abiola Olawale
The Maryland Supreme Court, on Monday, ruled on the removal of Judge April T. Ademiluyi from the Prince George’s County bench with immediate effect.
The court in its ruling cited Ademiluyi’s “egregious” behavior in violation of the state’s code of judicial conduct, as the reason for the judgment.
Although the court failed to give specifics of the alleged misconduct, the judgment broadly cited at least a dozen codes Ademiluyi allegedly violated as a Circuit Court judge, involving her behavior with jurors, her impartiality and fairness, her non-compliance with the law, and her non-cooperation with disciplinary authorities.
It would be recalled that Ademiluyi had been under investigation since Sept. 27, 2022, after allegations arose that she bypassed the judicial nomination process and vetting, ultimately beating a previous sitting judge.
The allegations were nailed against Ademiluyi shortly after she took the first action before the commission, filing a complaint against Sheila Tillerson Adams, then serving as the county’s longtime chief administrative judge, and Daneeka Varner Cotton, who took over for Tillerson Adams.
Ademiluyi alleged that Tillerson Adams forged her signature on a ruling and that the two had been monitoring her emails in an attempt to sabotage her, according to commission and court documents.
Following the complaint, the commission launched an investigation, leading to further charges against her, including allegations of harassing a fellow judge and sharing confidential materials.
During court trials, her fellow judges testified against her that she behaved inappropriately at the courthouse, including insubordination, unprofessionalism, tardiness, and lack of participation in critical judicial training sessions.
Also, two of Ademiluyi’s employees told the court that the judge would routinely “demand, demean, and belittle” them, leading to both seeking medical attention for stress and anxiety
The Maryland Supreme Court, in its judgment, convicted Ademiluyi and found her removal to be a more appropriate consequence due to the gravity of the misconduct, despite the Maryland Commission on Judicial Disabilities having initially recommended a censure and a six-month suspension without pay.
Reacting to the court’s verdict Ademiluyi said: “I continue to believe that I did not commit any sanctionable misconduct. It is a disservice to the community for me to be punished for doing the right thing.”
