Mik Pappas, a magisterial district judge, at his court in Highland Park. (Photo by Clare Sheedy/PublicSource)
After a disagreement with Magisterial District Judge Mik Pappas over the timing of a warrant approval, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office announced in February that it was investigating him for unspecified “additional issues.”
Within days, some local law enforcement professionals unhappy with the reform-minded Pappas — a critic of cash bail and racial disparities in the justice system — lobbied the DA and courts for action against him, according to internal emails obtained by PublicSource via a Right-To-Know request.
Pappas was characterized as “biased” and “guilty” in one email from a deputy sheriff, while a police chiefs group expressed “support” for investigation of the judge, whose district comprises neighborhoods in Pittsburgh’s East End.
It’s the courts, not police or the DA, that are responsible under the Pennsylvania Constitution for investigating judicial conduct. Police efforts to undermine Pappas raise concerns for some legal observers about separation of powers, and the extent to which law enforcement resources have been marshaled based on political disagreement.
“This has always been about my interpretation of the law and my viewpoints regarding the criminal legal system and my support for reform,” Pappas, of Highland Park, told PublicSource. “One of the greatest dangers in the criminal legal system is the use of criminal process to go after, so to speak, people you disagree with in terms of politics.”
Presented by PublicSource with emails showing a deputy sheriff in his office had been surveilling Pappas’ social media accounts, Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin Kraus launched an internal investigation. Kraus later revealed that the deputy in question had been placed on leave and would face disciplinary proceedings after the investigation determined he had “committed policy violations.”
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