how the hell long was THIS going on?

Embattled Md. Judge Accused Of Bias Palumbo Insulted Women, Group Says
By Ruben CastanedaWashington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, December 13, 2005; B01
A Prince George's judge who has been temporarily removed from the bench amid controversy over a domestic violence case and other issues has exhibited "clear bias" against non-English-speaking women seeking protective orders, even prohibiting one woman from using a translator except with his explicit permission, according to a petition filed yesterday with the Maryland commission that investigates allegations of judicial misconduct.
District Court Judge Richard A. Palumbo told the woman's attorney she could take up the matter with an appellate court, according to the complaint by the House of Ruth Domestic Violence Legal Clinic. The House of Ruth is a 30-year-old organization that advocates for the victims of domestic violence in Maryland.
The petition also alleges that Palumbo made insensitive comments to a partially paralyzed man who was seeking a protective order; that, based on an erroneous legal standard, he rejected people seeking protective orders who were representing themselves; and that he routinely made disparaging comments about women.
Palumbo often told men who appeared before him in domestic abuse cases to leave their female partners and look for a new mate because "women are like buses -- they come by every five minutes," according to the petition.
According to the House of Ruth, the petition was filed late yesterday and asks the Maryland Judicial Disabilities Commission to review its allegations against Palumbo. If it finds wrongdoing by a judge, the commission can recommend penalties ranging from a reprimand to removal from the bench. It would be up to the governor and the legislature or the state Court of Appeals to remove a judge.
Palumbo's attorney, William C. Brennan, said he could not comment because he had not seen the petition.
In the 13-page document, a House of Ruth attorney alleges that at an Aug. 8 hearing, Palumbo "makes clear his assumption that anyone who has moved to a new country and not learned the dominant language is not worthy of credence."
After learning that the woman had been in the country for 15 years, Palumbo, over the objection of the woman's attorney, ordered a translator not to interpret "except when I determine it's proper," according to a partial transcript of the hearing prepared by the House of Ruth.......