A Philly judge accused of domestic violence is no longer suspended after all charges were dropped
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office withdrew all charges against Judge Michael Fanning last week. His wife and adult daughter did not want to proceed with the prosecution.
A Philadelphia Family Court judge who was arrested for assaulting his wife and daughter earlier this year is no longer suspended after prosecutors withdrew all charges against him last week.
The Pennsylvania Court of Discipline ended Michael Fanning’s suspension without pay Thursday because the only reason for it was the criminal charges against him.
“With no charges and no other reason cited for the suspension of Judge Fanning, no reason exists for that suspension to continue,” the order said.
Fanning, 60, will be assigned administrative duty and will not hear cases until the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas leadership can decide his future assignment, said court spokesperson Martin O’Rourke.
The administrative office of Pennsylvania courts did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Fanning would receive back pay for the four months he was suspended.
Fortunato Perri Jr., Fanning’s attorney, declined to comment.
Fanning was charged with aggravated assault, strangulation, and related crimes in March after prosecutors said he repeatedly punched his wife in the face, choked her, and dragged his 30-year-old daughter to the ground by her hair, causing her to cut her face, during a fight at their East Torresdale home.
The two women were evaluated by medics and did not suffer injuries, prosecutors said.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office withdrew the charges against the judge last week after Fanning’s wife and daughter did not want to proceed.
Attorneys for Fanning also provided the district attorney’s office with “extensive mitigation” records, prosecutors told the court without describing their content.
Fanning’s wife said in a March hearing that the judge had voluntarily entered a 30-day inpatient recovery program to treat his excessive alcohol use, an issue the family had worked to address in the past.
Fanning was appointed to the Common Pleas Court bench in 2014 by then-Gov. Tom Corbett. He won a 10-year term in the 2015 election, and was retained for another term in November. He has been serving as a Family Court judge throughout his tenure.
Staff writer Ellie Rushing contributed to this story.
