Politically charged Halloween signs at the home of Maryland Supreme Court Justice Peter Killough. (Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital)
Politically charged Halloween signs at the home of Maryland Supreme Court Justice Peter Killough. (Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital)
Politically charged Halloween signs at the home of Maryland Supreme Court Justice Peter Killough. (Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital)
Politically charged Halloween signs at the home of Maryland Supreme Court Justice Peter Killough. (Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital)
Politically charged Halloween signs at the home of Maryland Supreme Court Justice Peter Killough. (Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital)
Politically charged Halloween signs at the home of Maryland Supreme Court Justice Peter Killough. (Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital)
This comes as Killough and the seven-person Maryland Supreme Court are considering a landmark climate liability case, Mayor & City Council of Baltimore v. BP P.L.C. In the suit, Baltimore politicians are suing major oil companies, alleging that they knowingly misled the public about the role of fossil fuels in climate change while causing costly local damage through sea-level rise and extreme weather.
Nick Cavey, a spokesperson for the Maryland Judiciary, told Fox News Digital that the "the signs belong to Justice Killough's wife" and that Killough "has no further comments."
The Maryland Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case on Oct. 6.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew Gould said these signs indicate a clear bias on Killough’s part and raises serious questions about whether he should be involved in such a high-stakes climate case.
"It’s cast a shadow over the decision now," said Gould, adding, "The public, whatever side you're on, is inevitably going to feel distrust."
Gould said that when he saw the signs, he was "shocked and disappointed."
"If the judge really felt this way, he should have recused himself."
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Maryland Supreme Court Justice Peter KIllough and signs from his Halloween display. (Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital; Maryland government official website)
"I have seen in recent years a growing number of judges who want to add their personal commentary to cases. Where I've seen it most prevalent is, frankly, a lot of these judges who feel they have to save the world from President Trump. And so, they get out on a limb, and they step outside of their judicial role," he explained.
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"One of the things that you have to do as a judge is you have to remove your personal feelings and biases and make the decision based on the law and the facts. Until you've done that, as a judge, you haven't really lived up to what you took your oath to do."
"People have to believe that judges are fair; they haven't prejudged the case. So, it is a problem. And a lot of these recent decisions by judges, either in their decisions or sometimes in the gratuitous commentary that they make, indicate that they're not fair," Gould added. "The public is having a growing distrust. This incident in Maryland is just going to add to that."
Fox News' Emma Woodhead and Kiera McDonald contributed to this report.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-appointed-maryland-supreme-court-justice-hot-seat-over-politically-charged-halloween-display