Judge Matthew Thornhill has resigned after being reprimanded for wearing an Elvis Presley wig while on the bench, the BBC reported. The judge is a self-proclaimed superfan of the late "Hound Dog" singer and is the longest-serving circuit judge in St. Charles County, Missouri.
A report by the Missouri's Commission on Retirement, Removal, and Discipline of Judges found that Thornhill "would routinely wear an Elvis Presley wig on or about October 31." Thornhill's antics included injecting references to The King during court proceedings, even if they were "irrelevant" to the case at hand.
Thornhill would sometimes use lyrics or reference Presley's birthday during proceedings that had nothing to do with what was transpiring in the courtroom. He would also sometimes offer to swear in witnesses or litigants while Elvis's greatest hits blared from his phone.
The judge said he did this "to add levity at times when I thought it would help relax litigants," but has since realized it was a mistake. "I now recognise that this could affect the integrity and solemnity of the proceedings," Thornhill said in a letter to the court on Nov. 12.
The judges made a mockery of his courtroom with these antics, and many in the media and on social media have had fun at Thornhill's expense. For instance, the New York Post shared photos of Thornhill in his absurd wig on X on Thursday.
"He’s left the building! Missouri judge loses job for ‘routinely’ wearing Elvis wig on bench, playing his music at hearings," the caption reads, adding an Elvis pun while also mocking Thornhill's exit from the bench.
He’s left the building! Missouri judge loses job for ‘routinely’ wearing Elvis wig on bench, playing his music at hearings https://t.co/ZybaC32EWk pic.twitter.com/aA4L7193bF
— New York Post (@nypost) November 20, 2025
However, Thornhill's unseriousness is no laughing matter. Other problems in his disciplinary report state that he would also share his political views from the bench and ask lawyers, litigants, and witnesses whether they had seen his "Thornhill for Judge" signs he posted during his campaign for judge.
Because the commission determined that Thornhill "failed to maintain order and decorum in the courtroom," it was recommended that he receive a six-month suspension without pay. He'll have to serve another 18 months on the bench before he can retire.
This disciplinary action wasn't the first time Thornhill ended up on the wrong side of a disciplinary investigation. In 2008, Thornhill was fined $750 for allegedly reducing charges for a woman who offered to give him a baseball autographed by Terry Bradshaw, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, Fox News reported.
The judge has denied taking the ball, which also happened to be a fake. However, Thornhill is not the only person to wear something ridiculous in court, though there seems to be a double standard. As the New York Post reported, transgender public defender Stephanie Mueller shamelessly showed up to court in a tight, cleavage-bearing top and a miniskirt.
The gender-confused individual also wore heavy makeup that bordered on absurd, along with bold jewelry. This outfit would be completely unacceptable for a biological woman, but was tolerated by the left-leaning court and did not receive the same treatment as an Elvis wig.
Due to popular demand, I'm posting the extended cut of my interview with public defender Stephanie Mueller. The transgender attorney is representing one of the far-left activists charged with disrupting a council meeting in February.
Otherwise, this is Seattle. What's the big… https://t.co/rYo4nrj9Wu pic.twitter.com/fuTP4qObvu— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) April 5, 2024
The truth is that we live in a nation with unserious people. A court of law is supposed to be dignified as the matters there come down to someone's freedom or even life or death. Thornhill and others should save their personalities for their free time, not for the court.
