Judge Who Smoked Pot at Concert Is Suspended
The state Supreme Court has suspended a judge who was spotted smoking marijuana at a rock concert after he admitted during a misconduct investigation that he did so about twice a year.
A woman told court officials last October that she saw District Judge Thomas Gilbert smoke a joint at a concert in Detroit, 250 miles from Traverse City, where Gilbert works.
The woman was from Elk Rapids, a town near Traverse City that is in Gilbert’s district.
In an order last week, the state Supreme Court decided to suspend Gilbert for six months without pay.
Gilbert apologized in a written statement and blamed alcoholism for his drug use. He said he did not plan to resign.
“The citizens put me here to do a job, and God willing I will do it to the best of my ability until it is done,” wrote Gilbert, whose term ends in 2004.
Gilbert spent time in a rehabilitation facility, then returned to the bench with a restricted case load that did not include drunk driving or marijuana possession cases. That restriction was to expire Oct. 1.
The suspension went into effect Thursday.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
