Matthew E.P. Thornhill, the longest-serving circuit judge in St. Charles County, Mo., can often be found rummaging through thrift stores for books and bow ties, playing pickleball and ordering a burger and coffee for lunch at a local diner.
Also, according to his biography page on the St. Charles County Circuit Court website, he “loves Elvis.”
“Elvis was a super talent,” the judge said in an interview on local television last year. “If I just had Elvis’s hair, I’d be unstoppable.”
It was apparently that burning love for Presley that prompted him to occasionally wear an Elvis wig on the bench, play Presley’s songs and recite his lyrics in court — behavior that a judicial conduct commission cited in calling for him to be suspended and then resign. Court documents say he has agreed to step down after nearly 20 years on the bench, pending the approval of the Missouri Supreme Court.
The state’s Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline of Judges, which investigates allegations of judicial misconduct, filed three disciplinary counts against Judge Thornhill, accusing him of dressing as Elvis Presley in the courtroom, politicking in the courtroom and filing an affidavit on behalf of a party in a paternity case.
Judge Thornhill “routinely” wore the wig “on or about Oct. 31,” Halloween, in the courtroom, in his chambers and in the courthouse, the commission said in court documents, which included photographs of the judge on the bench, wearing a wig styled after Presley’s signature black pompadour.
Sometimes Judge Thornhill would refer to the dates of Presley’s birth or death “when such statements were irrelevant to the proceedings before the court,” the commission said.
Other objections included playing Elvis Presley songs on his phone and asking litigants and witnesses if they wanted Presley’s music to be played as they were being sworn in. It said he had promoted his election campaign by asking litigants, witnesses and lawyers if they had seen his “Thornhill for Judge” signs.
Last year, the commission said, he gave a personal reference on behalf of the petitioner in an adoption case that was pending before another judge. A judge is not allowed to be a character witness without a subpoena.
The behavior, the commission said, demonstrated that Judge Thornhill had “engaged in a course of conduct in which he failed to maintain order and decorum in the courtroom, in his chambers and in the courthouse, and further failed to maintain the dignity appropriate of judicial office.”
The commission recommended that Judge Thornhill be suspended without pay for six months and then serve another 18 months on the bench before retiring. In an appearance before the Eastern District of the Missouri Court of Appeals on Oct. 17, Judge Thornhill waived his right to a hearing and signed a letter agreeing to resign after that period, court documents show.
The Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline of Judges released a transcript of that appearance and a statement on Nov. 14, saying Judge Thornhill had “admitted to the truth and substantial accuracy” of the allegations.
In a letter to the Missouri Supreme Court, Judge Thornhill wrote that his intention in wearing an Elvis wig and playing Elvis songs in court had been to “add levity at times when I thought it would help relax litigants.”
“I now recognize that this could affect the integrity and solemnity of the proceedings,” the judge wrote in the letter, which was dated Nov. 12.
Judge Thornhill did not immediately respond on Thursday to a message left at a number listed under his name. One of his lawyers, Michael Downey, declined to comment, noting that the case was pending before the Missouri Supreme Court.
Judge Thornhill, whose middle initials stand for Eugene Peter, not Elvis Presley, spoke enthusiastically about his passion for Elvis in the local television interview last year. He said that he had visited Graceland 13 times, nurturing an interest in Elvis that began when he would sit by the radio as a child, waiting for “Burning Love” to be played.
He also showed off some of the Elvis memorabilia he had collected over the years, including a “velvet Elvis” painting, a poster of Elvis’s 1958 movie “King Creole,” and a statuette of Elvis playing the guitar.
“People are routinely coming by my office and leaving me Elvis gifts,” Judge Thornhill said.
His biography page says he started his legal career as an assistant prosecutor for St. Charles County, northwest of St. Louis, in 1993, handling trials in traffic court, the felony division and the sex crimes unit. In 2006 he was elected an associate circuit judge, and in 2024 he was elected a circuit judge.
“No other judge has served Saint Charles County longer than him!” the website says.
His primary assignment is family court and conflict cases from other circuits.
The bio also says Judge Thornhill, a Republican who is married with seven children, “loves Elvis, surfing, gardening, watching soccer, golfing with his children, and running with his dog on the Katy Trail.”
Christine Hauser is a Times reporter who writes breaking news stories, features and explainers.
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