A Former Judge of the Day Admits He's Been 'Addicted to Porn' Since Childhood

A state judge in Illinois admits that he's addicted to porn, but will that save his career?

Back in July, we brought our readers a story about an Illinois judge who had allegedly been using his courthouse computer to view hardcore pornography while in chambers. Most would’ve lodged an objection to the judge’s alleged behavior, because after all, he could’ve waited until he got home to sate his supposed desire for untoward viewing pleasures, just like everyone else.

After the inception of a judicial ethics inquiry, some of the porn sites the judge visited were revealed by a Chicago-area newspaper (and based on his pervy predilections, it seems the good jurist is a chubby chaser). But alas, the only thing the judge is chasing now are his hopes of keeping himself on the bench.

Late last week, the alleged porn procurer found himself before the Illinois Courts Commission (ICC) to defend his honor and his livelihood. During the hearing, the judge confessed to many of his sins, and revealed the reason why he couldn’t wait until he was within the comforts of his own home to visit his favorite XXX sites….

As noted by the Chicago Sun-Times, Judge Joseph C. Polito is awaiting his fate at the hands of the ICC. Before we get to the content of Polito’s grand revelation, let’s review some of the porn sites he’s partial to:

The records showed Polito’s computer login and password were used at the Joliet courthouse to look up scores of websites including chubbyparade.com, hugeheavybreasts.com, bigbras-club.com, portofdebauchery.com and teenagesextape.com. Many others have names that can’t be printed in a family newspaper.

As we noted when we last spoke about this fellow: “Ewww.” No wonder the Sun-Times nicknamed this guy “Judge Lewdy.” On the bright side, at least Polito wasn’t accused of stroking his gavel while on the bench.

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But can you really blame him? As we now know, Polito’s a self-confessed porn addict. From the Sun-Times:

A Will County judge who secretly viewed hard-core pornography on his courthouse computer fought back tears Thursday as he confessed he’d been addicted to porn since he was a little boy. …

“This is a shameful and humbling experience,” Polito told the seven commissioners who will decide his fate. “I acknowledge I did not uphold the high standards of conduct my position required.”

Polito claims he’s in treatment for this compulsive sexual disorder, and that he attends a Sexuality Anonymous group twice weekly. He’s even gone cold turkey on the porn, and says he hasn’t looked at the stuff in more than a year. But when Polito did look at it, it was in his chambers before his morning court call, and in the afternoon after his sessions had been completed — because there’s nothing like a little morning wood and some afternoon delight to get a geriatric judge’s gears going.

The ICC’s discipline for Polito could range from a reprimand to termination, but according to Polito’s lawyer, William J. Martin, the judge’s “public embarrassment should be punishment enough,” and he even brought Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski’s humiliating foray with pornography into play. If you recall, Kozinski was cleared of all misconduct related to his extensive porn collection.

If a public shaming is a good enough punishment for a federal judge, why shouldn’t it be the same on the state level? Hopefully, Polito will be able to beat the charges against him — and what with his porn addiction, he’s presumably got a lot of practice in the beating department.

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Will County judge acknowledges porn addiction since childhood [Chicago Sun-Times]
Illinois Judge Facing Disciplinary Action Over Viewing Porn at Work Admits Longtime Addiction [ABA Journal]

Earlier: Judge of the Day: Just Wait to Watch Porn Until You Go Home