PA District Judge Violated Integrity and Impartiality of Office, Board Says

A state board of judges has ruled that suspended District Judge Kelly Ballentine violated five standards of office when she dismissed her own parking tickets.

The state Court of Judicial Discipline, in a recent order, ruled that Ballentine violated the "integrity and impartiality" of her position.

That also was the conclusion of the state Judicial Conduct Board. The Court of Judicial Discipline said it will announce a penalty at a later date.

Ballentine could receive a reprimand, a suspension of her term as district judge or permanent disbarment. Ballentine pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors on Feb. 1 and was fined $1,500 for dismissing three of her own tickets in 2010 and 2011.

The state attorney general's office filed 12 charges last year; nine of those were eventually dismissed. The Court of Judicial Discipline outlines the violations in a 12-page opinion.

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District Judge Kelly Ballentine Violated Integrity and Impartiality of Office in Ticket Fixing Case, Board Says