An investigation of Baltimore Circuit Judge Alfred Nance by the state agency that monitors judges' conduct follows criticism about his courtroom demeanor that has persisted since he took the bench three years ago.
The investigation by the Commission on Judicial Disabilities focuses on Nance's reported inappropriate behavior toward women in the courthouse.
The commission has interviewed four women, all current or former prosecutors, who have complained that, among other things, Nance exhibits an explosive temper and that the judge has made comments about their appearance and touched their faces, sources familiar with the investigation say.
This investigation is the latest controversy in the judge's short tenure. He has had to agree to take "corrective action" after a disabilities commission inquiry into his jailing of a lawyer who left the courtroom for six minutes because his client was not there, documents show.
Nance has drawn criticism from jurors, court officials and legal experts who say his practice of asking jurors personal questions and making comments about them is offensive and inappropriate.
During one jury selection, court transcripts show, he told a single woman "to stand up and let us see [you]. ... There may be a single guy out there."
Nance, 52, declined to comment for this article. He did not respond to a list of questions delivered by hand to his office last week.
Months after he was appointed, Nance and eight other judges faced a judicial election spurred by a challenger who said she ran mainly to unseat him because of concerns about "unwelcome attention" that the judge gave to women.
"One of the main reasons I ran for judge was because of widespread reports about the inappropriate conduct by Judge Nance toward women in the courthouse," said the challenger, prosecutor Page Croyder.
Sheila K. Sachs, a member of the commission that nominated Nance for appointment by the governor, said she has heard several anecdotes about "sexual harassment" of women since Nance took the bench.
"It was very upsetting," Sachs said of Nance's recent troubles. "We hope that this kind of thing never happens."
Three weeks ago, Nance was temporarily removed from the criminal docket because he wrote the city's top prosecutor a letter chastising her office after she complained about his alleged improper behavior toward two of her prosecutors.
