On Saturday, November 9, 2024, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that former Allegheny County district judge Anthony Saveikis has been permanently barred from holding any judicial office. This decision came from the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline, which issued an order following Saveikis’s resignation amid serious misconduct allegations earlier this year.
Saveikis, 57, had a lengthy career on the bench, serving for over two decades before stepping down in January 2024. His resignation followed an extended leave while the state Judicial Conduct Board investigated claims regarding his inappropriate interactions with several teenage boys. Notably, no criminal charges were ever filed against him in connection with these allegations.
In a ruling announced on November 8, the Court of Judicial Discipline imposed severe sanctions on Saveikis, stating that he is “severely censured” and that his resignation and commitment to never serve as a judge again are binding and irrevocable. Saveikis admitted to the allegations detailed in a formal complaint against him, acknowledging violations of state rules concerning bias, prejudice, and harassment, as well as conduct that brought disrepute to the judicial office.
His attorney, Robert Del Greco, emphasized that Saveikis had been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing after thorough investigations conducted by the Allegheny County Police and reviewed by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. Despite this, the complaints against him raised serious ethical concerns.
The allegations against Saveikis included three specific incidents spanning several years, with two occurring in 2022 and one in 2018. In the first incident from November 2018, it was reported that Saveikis engaged in inappropriate behavior with a 17-year-old male employee. The formal complaint stated that he followed the teen into a freezer, where he touched the boy’s arms and shoulders while asking personal questions.
The second and third allegations involved a 17-year-old boy who appeared in Saveikis’s courtroom in May 2022. Following the court appearance, Saveikis allegedly ordered the teen to perform community service at a local fair. It is claimed that Saveikis visited the boy at the fair and maintained communication with him after his community service concluded.
The third incident involved a 14-year-old boy, whom Saveikis directed to work at a different fair. The complaint alleged that during this time, Saveikis walked the teenager around the venue, touching him inappropriately, and later took him to lunch without obtaining parental permission.
Earlier filings indicated that Saveikis had sought help through a program called Judges Concerned for Judges, which provided him with in-patient treatment for his issues. Additionally, he underwent both in-patient and out-patient treatment for substance abuse. Court records also revealed that Saveikis was charged with driving under the influence in September 2024, with that case currently pending in the Court of Common Pleas.
The Court of Judicial Discipline is tasked with hearing and deciding formal charges against judges and judicial officers across the state, holding authority to impose a range of sanctions from formal reprimands to removal from office. Saveikis’s case marks a significant action taken by the court in response to the serious ethical violations he committed during his tenure as a judge.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
