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Judge is accused of watching porn on his office computer, using court clerks to grade exams

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A Pennsylvania judge is accused in an ethics complaint of watching pornography on his office computer and using his law clerks to do outside work for him.

The Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board filed formal charges on Wednesday against Magisterial District Judge Michael Muth of Monroe County, according to a press release that included a copy of the complaint. Philly.com and Lehigh Valley Live covered the allegations, which covered a period beginning in 2006, when he was first elected.

Muth is accused of using his office computer to watch videos and look at pictures of naked or partly naked adult females engaged in sexual activity or in sexually explicit poses. He is also accused of using clerks to grade exams for the classes he taught at East Stroudsburg University between 2006 and 2016, according to the release.

Three clerks said they walked into Muth’s office when the porn was on display; one of the clerks reported seeing the images on three occasions. Sometimes Muth tried to minimize the display, but he was not successful, according to the complaint.

Muth is accused of violating ethics rules and judicial system policy by his conduct, including a policy banning sexual harassment. He is also accused of violating the Pennsylvania Constitution’s disrepute clause, which says judges can be disciplined, suspended and removed for bringing the judicial office into disrepute.