Judicial Conduct Board moves to suspend Family Court judge without pay after he’s charged with assaulting his wife, daughter
Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Fanning, who has worked as a family court judge since 2014, was arrested Monday and charged with assaulting his wife and daughter.
The Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board has moved to suspend a Philadelphia judge without pay after he was charged this week with repeatedly punching his wife, choking her, and assaulting his adult daughter.
In a petition made public Thursday, the board asked that Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Fanning, 60, be removed from the bench until the criminal case against him is resolved.
Fanning, who has worked as a Family Court judge since 2014, was arrested Monday night and charged with aggravated assault, strangulation, and related crimes after police said he punched his wife in the head and face multiple times, causing her to fall to the ground, and then choked her, according to the criminal complaint.
He was also charged with simple assault after prosecutors said he attacked his 30-year-old daughter, pulling her to the ground by her hair and causing a cut to her face.
The allegations against Fanning “undermine both public confidence in the judiciary and its reputation,” the board wrote in its filing. And if he is allowed to continue presiding over cases until the criminal charges against him are resolved, the board said, “the public’s confidence in the judiciary will continue to erode.”
The Court of Judicial Discipline, which adjudicates complaints against judges, is expected to schedule a hearing to determine whether Fanning should be stripped of his salary as the criminal case proceeds.
Fanning’s attorney, Tom Pfender, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
A spokesperson for the Philadelphia courts declined to comment on the board’s petition but said Family Court’s leadership had placed Fanning on administrative leave, restricted his access to the building, and reassigned his cases.
Fanning is the second Philadelphia judge whom the board has sought to suspend without pay in the last year.
In November, the Court of Judicial Discipline ordered Common Pleas Court Judge Scott DiClaudio be temporarily removed from the bench and go without pay after the board accused him of attempting to influence a colleague’s decision in a case with ties to Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill.
DiClaudio has denied the accusations. The case remains ongoing.