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Sunday, Nov 23, 2025
Outside the box.
United States: Judge Dressed Up as Elvis During Hearings – and Was Forced to Resign
A Missouri judge resigned after it was revealed that he repeatedly appeared in court wearing an Elvis-style wig, played the singer’s music, and quoted his lyrics during hearings, prompting a disciplinary panel to recommend his suspension.
A court judge in Missouri in the United States was forced to resign after it was revealed that during hearings in his courtroom, he regularly displayed his admiration for the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, by wearing an Elvis-style wig, playing his songs, and quoting lines from them.
The judge, Matthew A. P. Thornhill, has served in his role for twenty years and is the longest-serving judge in St. Charles County, Missouri.
He openly describes himself as a devoted Elvis fan, and in an interview he gave last year, he said that his admiration has followed him since childhood, noting that over the years he visited Graceland, the home of the King of Rock and Roll, no fewer than thirteen times.
Thornhill was forced to resign after a disciplinary committee from the local court service recommended suspending him, following mounting evidence that he repeatedly invoked Elvis’s memory in ways entirely unrelated to the proceedings taking place in his courtroom.
The committee’s inquiry found, among other things, that around October thirty-first, Halloween, Judge Thornhill repeatedly wore an Elvis wig while conducting court business.
It also found that there were instances in which he allowed litigants or witnesses to swear their oaths while he played Elvis songs from his phone in the background.
More than once, he quoted Elvis’s lyrics during proceedings or mentioned other Elvis-related details, such as the dates of his birth and death.
In a letter explaining his actions, Judge Thornhill wrote that his only intention had been to bring some lightness into the hearings when he felt it might help calm the disputing parties.
“I now recognize that this could undermine the integrity and seriousness of the proceedings,” Thornhill wrote.
The report also noted other inappropriate conduct, such as the judge mentioning his political affiliation and preferred candidates during elections while presiding from the bench.
Thornhill is a Republican, married, and a father of seven children.
Despite his deep affection for Elvis, which includes collecting posters and other memorabilia related to him, the middle initials in his name, A. P., do not stand for “Elvis Presley,” but rather “Eugene Peter.”
The judge, Matthew A. P. Thornhill, has served in his role for twenty years and is the longest-serving judge in St. Charles County, Missouri.
He openly describes himself as a devoted Elvis fan, and in an interview he gave last year, he said that his admiration has followed him since childhood, noting that over the years he visited Graceland, the home of the King of Rock and Roll, no fewer than thirteen times.
Thornhill was forced to resign after a disciplinary committee from the local court service recommended suspending him, following mounting evidence that he repeatedly invoked Elvis’s memory in ways entirely unrelated to the proceedings taking place in his courtroom.
The committee’s inquiry found, among other things, that around October thirty-first, Halloween, Judge Thornhill repeatedly wore an Elvis wig while conducting court business.
It also found that there were instances in which he allowed litigants or witnesses to swear their oaths while he played Elvis songs from his phone in the background.
More than once, he quoted Elvis’s lyrics during proceedings or mentioned other Elvis-related details, such as the dates of his birth and death.
In a letter explaining his actions, Judge Thornhill wrote that his only intention had been to bring some lightness into the hearings when he felt it might help calm the disputing parties.
“I now recognize that this could undermine the integrity and seriousness of the proceedings,” Thornhill wrote.
The report also noted other inappropriate conduct, such as the judge mentioning his political affiliation and preferred candidates during elections while presiding from the bench.
Thornhill is a Republican, married, and a father of seven children.
Despite his deep affection for Elvis, which includes collecting posters and other memorabilia related to him, the middle initials in his name, A. P., do not stand for “Elvis Presley,” but rather “Eugene Peter.”
