A magistrate has been issued with a formal warning for misconduct over three Facebook posts dating from almost a decade ago.
The posts, made by Morris Suckall in 2017, included inappropriate commentary on politically and socially sensitive issues. The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) did not specify what the issues were.
The posts remained online and were complained of in 2024.
Suckall, who has served as a magistrate for 13 years, said the posts were intended for a private audience.
A spokesperson for the JCIO said: ‘[Suckall] described the posts as reactions to events and political controversies. He acknowledged that one post was unwise but rejected the suggestion that he had failed to act with circumspection.’
An investigation found Suckall’s posts were ‘deliberate, publicly accessible and demonstrated ill will toward a political figure and bias against a minority group’.
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Suckall was found to have ‘failed to exercise circumspection, showed limited insight, and failed to recognise the reputational risk posed by his conduct’.
The JCIO added: ‘Judicial office-holders are expected to avoid posting, liking, sharing, or commenting on social media content that could undermine public confidence in their impartiality or bring the judiciary into disrepute.’
Mr Justice Keehan, on behalf of the lady chief justice, and with the lord chancellor’s agreement, issued Suckall with a formal warning on the basis that the magistrate’s conduct was ‘highly improper’, though there was no evidence of a 'sustained pattern of behaviour'.
