A veteran judge in Missouri has stepped down after a disciplinary investigation found he repeatedly injected his admiration for Elvis Presley into courtroom proceedings, including wearing a wig styled like the late singer, playing his music and quoting his lyrics.
Judge Matthew A. P. Thornhill, the longest-serving judge in St. Charles County, served on the bench for 20 years. He has long described himself as a devoted Elvis fan and said in past interviews that he first became enamored with the singer as a child. Over the years, he visited Presley’s Graceland estate in Memphis at least 13 times.
A disciplinary commission recommended suspending Thornhill after receiving multiple reports that he routinely referenced Elvis in proceedings, even when it had no relevance to the cases. According to the investigation, around Halloween, he would sometimes don an Elvis-style wig while conducting hearings. In some sessions, he allowed litigants or witnesses to take oaths as Elvis songs played from his phone. The commission also cited occasions when he quoted Presley’s lyrics or mentioned the singer’s birth and death dates during hearings.
Thornhill wrote in a letter that his intention had been to “add levity at times when I thought it would help relax litigants,” but acknowledged that the behavior could undermine “the integrity and solemnity of the proceedings.”
The disciplinary report also found that Thornhill at times made inappropriate comments from the bench about his political affiliation and his preferred candidates in elections, violating judicial conduct rules meant to preserve public confidence in the courts.
Thornhill is a Republican, married and the father of seven. Despite his extensive Elvis memorabilia collection, the initials A. P. in his name stand for Eugene Peter, not Elvis Presley.
Under the disciplinary agreement submitted to the Missouri Supreme Court, Thornhill would face a six-month suspension, return to the bench for 18 months and then resign permanently. The state’s high court is considering whether to approve the proposed penalty.