WATCH asks Minnesota judge to resign
November 12, 2009
Minnesota: WATCH, an organization in Minnesota that monitors courts, has asked Stephen C. Aldrich to resign from his seat as a district court judge because of several remarks he made from the bench.[1]
The court-watching organization said that on October 21, at a hearing to consider a request by a woman that the court issue a restraining order against her husband, Judge Alrich said, "I've been married 45 years. We've never considered divorce; a few times murder maybe."
Aldrich has apologized for the remarks, and said, "I tried to use humor to lower the tension in the courtroom and in retrospect I chose the wrong words. Throughout my 15 years on the bench, and for 25 years before, I have acted forcefully to protect victims of abuse and their children, and to issue or seek Orders For Protection justified by the facts and law."[1]
Footnotes
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Minnesota • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Minnesota
State courts:
Minnesota Supreme Court • Minnesota Court of Appeals • Minnesota District Courts • Minnesota Problem-Solving Courts • Minnesota Tax Court • Minnesota Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals
State resources:
Courts in Minnesota • Minnesota judicial elections • Judicial selection in Minnesota
