Missouri judge resigns after wearing Elvis wig and sunglasses in court

Matthew Thornhill dressed in his Elvis Presley costume. Photo / Supplied

A judge in Missouri, United States, has been forced to resign after wearing an Elvis Presley wig in court.

Matthew Thornhill was put under investigation for wearing an outsized black wig and sunglasses on the bench and in the St Charles County Courthouse.

Thornhill, who is a Presley fan, was known to wear the costume while presiding over cases “routinely on or about October 31”.

The judge gave some witnesses the option of being sworn in to the sounds of Presley’s greatest hits, which he would play from his phone.

Thornhill would also make references to Presley during his cases, sometimes weaving lyrics into his official remarks.

His actions violated rules requiring judges to maintain “order and decorum” and “promote confidence in the integrity of the judiciary”, the commission found.

Away from the court, he collected Elvis memorabilia and had visited Graceland 13 times.

Thornhill has visited Graceland 13 times.

Thornhill was also under investigation for political remarks, according to Missouri’s Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline of Judges, which investigates allegations of judicial misconduct.

He would reportedly mention his political affiliations, voice his support for candidates in elections and ask lawyers, witnesses and litigants whether they had seen his “Thornhill for Judge” signs.

Pressing his case in a letter to the Missouri Supreme Court, Judge Thornhill, a father of seven who has been on the bench since 2006, said he had referenced the music legend in a bid to “add levity at times when [he] thought it would help relax litigants”.

The commission, however, found he “engaged in a course of conduct in which he failed to maintain order and decorum in the courtroom, in his chambers, and in the courthouse and further failed to maintain the dignity appropriate of judicial office”.

Thornhill is the longest-serving judge in St Charles County. Photo / Supplied

It also found he promoted his re-election campaign from the courtroom.

The judge was suspended for six months without pay, then served a final 18 months before retiring.

Thornhill did not appeal the ruling, saying he now recognised how his actions could “affect the integrity and solemnity of the proceedings”.

Thornhill is the longest-serving judge in St Charles County and a former assistant prosecutor there, according to a biography posted on the court website.

He was elected an associate circuit judge in 2006 and a circuit judge in 2024. His primary assignment is family court.

The Telegraph has approached his legal team for comment.

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