Mar 02, 2004 - 12:53:18 CST
FARGO - A state disciplinary panel began hearing testimony Tuesday on the conduct of East Central District Judge Michael McGuire, accused of making sexually explicit comments and of offensive behavior toward women who worked in the court system.McGuire, 62, has said the women have misinterpreted his behavior or taken it out of context.
One of the first witnesses, Deputy Court Clerk Linda Weaver, said McGuire once came into her office to apologize for the way he handled an office reorganization. After she accepted his apology, she said, he put his elbow on her desk and asked, 'Now, can I sleep with you?"'
Weaver said McGuire made other offensive comments and that she was "humiliated, offended, angry" by his behavior.
McGuire's attorney, Mark Condon, said some of the judge's accusers were angry at the way he reorganized his office. Condon tried to show that Weaver was angry at being passed over to fill in as the chief clerk.
Weaver said she did not confront McGuire about his conduct because she was afraid of retaliation.
Paul Jacobson, the attorney for the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, said he planned to call seven women to testify. He said the evidence will show McGuire violated specific codes of judicial conduct.
Condon has said he plans to call two other judges, a public defender and a sheriff's deputy to testify on McGuire's behalf.
McGuire, who stepped down as the district's chief administrative judge in May 2003, indicated earlier that he lacked administrative skills and might have handled personnel issues better.
The state Commission on Judicial Conduct has seven members, including two district judges, an attorney and four citizen members. It will make a recommendation to the North Dakota Supreme Court on whether McGuire should be disciplined.
McGuire's district includes Cass, Steele and Traill counties. He plans to retire when his six-year term expires at the end of the year.
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