Continued from our September 17 post. A Connecticut probate court judge was charged with judicial misconduct after making some questionable decisions regarding J.S.'s will. Miami probate attorneys have been watching the case unfold.

There are so many things wrong with this case, it's hard to know where to begin. The main charge against the judge, though, is that he held the hearing and made the decision to create the trusts without notifying Sam. The judge's explanation? He had "a plan."

His "plan" was to get J.S. back to her beloved farm before she died. "I was blinded," he testified, "by the fact that this woman wanted to go home."

How he knew she wanted to go home is unclear. He had not seen her for over a year when he called the hearing. He may have been moved to act by his trusted advisors. He had admitted in the past that he channels Eddie Haskell and Richard Nixon -- interesting, if dubious, choices for spiritual guides.

The judge claimed that not notifying Sam of the hearing was a mistake. He could not explain why he would transfer the property to churches, though, especially in light of the fact that J.S.'s will stated that she had intentionally omitted churches. The will was on file with the county, and the Judge certainly had access to it.

Strangely, the story doesn't end there. The judge recently offered his services as a mediator to the parties involved with J.S.'s case. He stated he believed he could help Sam, the developers and others work out a solution and correct the "mistake."

The probate council had admonished the judge in 2007 for creating the appearance of impropriety by serving as judge, land investor and lawyer for local developers. He seems not to have understood what they meant.

Perhaps the council should have asked Eddie Haskell or President Nixon deliver the message.

Resource: The Hartford Courant "Southington Probate Court Judge Faces Judicial Misconduct Charges" 9/10/10