Supreme Court Justice Michael Eakin Suspended Amid Misconduct Investigation
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice is being suspended with pay as the investigation into charges of judicial misconduct continue.
Those charges stem from email exchanges involving the justice, that are alleged to be offensive, racist and sexist.
The court finds Justice Michael Eakin not only received emails, but also sent and forwarded a number of them.
The court describes them as "insensitive and inappropriate towards matters involving gender, race, and sexual orientation, and ethnicity."
The court of judicial discipline describes the emails in question as "insensitive and inappropriate towards matters involving gender, race, and sexual orientation, and ethnicity."
It says it finds Justice Michael Eakin not only received the emails, but also sent and forwarded a number of them.
The order from the court of judicial discipline says this suspension is not about guilt or innocence, but rather is an effort to safeguard "the integrity of the judicial system and the public's confidence therein."
It says the only way to ensure the public's confidence is to suspend Justice Eakin pending the full-trial.
That trial is expected to start in February.