Prince George's County judge breaks silence after being removed from bench

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. - Former Prince George's County Circuit Court Judge April Ademiluyi, who was removed from her position by the Maryland Supreme Court in May, is speaking out for the first time since her dismissal.

On May 6, the Maryland Supreme Court removed Ademiluyi from her judgeship, citing "egregious misconduct." 

The Maryland Commission on Judicial Disabilities had found that Ademiluyi failed to cooperate with disciplinary authorities, failed to maintain appropriate decorum, refused to complete necessary training, and compromised her impartiality in a rape trial.

In an exclusive interview with FOX 5's Chief Legal Correspondent Katie Barlow, Ademiluyi contested the Commission's findings, claiming they were taken out of context. 

"It would be to litigate the retaliation issue. If we could litigate the retaliation issue it would certainly change, it would have an impact on those findings if they were willing to consider it, but they were not," Ademiluyi said.

Ademiluyi's dismissal has sparked a lawsuit against the Commission and her former colleagues. She alleges internal hostilities erupted at the courthouse after she accused Judges Sheila Tillerson Adams and DaNeeka Cotton of accessing her computer without permission to forge her signature on a court order. 

Ademiluyi filed a complaint against them in January 2022, which was dismissed, but she claims retaliation followed.

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Judge removed from Prince George’s County bench for misconduct

A Prince George’s County circuit judge has been removed from the bench for misconduct.

Ademiluyi asserts she was not permitted to present her retaliation claims during the Commission's investigation. 

She believes the investigation was biased from the start. 

"It's the institution. It's the institution that frowns upon complaining about the illegal conduct or I mean in this case I'm saying criminal conduct of your fellow judges," Ademiluyi said.

Judges Adams and Cotton responded to FOX 5, stating, "All of former Judge April Ademiluyi’s allegations have been vetted by the Commission, and all have been determined to be unfounded."

Despite the controversy, there was evidence of discord before Ademiluyi's allegations. 

The Commission found text messages between Ademiluyi and court employees in which she referred to "evil people in the courthouse" just three months after being sworn in.

Ademiluyi suggested that Judge Adams had targeted her since she campaigned and won her seat as an outsider, defeating an incumbent. Such victories are rare outside the traditional gubernatorial appointment process.

Ademiluyi believes her lawsuit is a stand for the 206,000 people who voted for her in 2020. 

"That's 206,000 taxpayers who elected me to do a job, and my effort to do that job was thwarted by Judge Adams, and it's absolutely worth the taxpayer dollars to rectify what has been done," she said.

Initially, the Commission proposed a temporary suspension for Ademiluyi, but the Maryland Supreme Court decided on removal. 

The court has yet to provide detailed reasoning for its decision, promising more information later.