Embattled judge under suicide watch

A controversial Brampton judge, convicted earlier this week of impaired driving, is under a suicide watch in an Orangeville hospital.

Justice Ted Collins convicted Justice Marvin Morten in absentia on Tuesday in an Orangeville courtroom. He was already in hospital.

Morten recently submitted his retirement papers, effective July 31, a court source confirmed today.

It's unknown how long Morten has been in the hospital or whether his suicide watch was ordered after or before his conviction in connection with an October 2006 alcohol-related driving charge in Caledon. Tuesday's conviction was for driving with an alcohol reading over the legal limit of 80 milligrams.

Morten was the subject of a complaint earlier in 2006 from fellow judges working at the A Grenville & Davis Courthouse in Brampton. He was accused of bringing the administration of justice into disrepute.

It was alleged that he participated in angry outbursts and bullying of judicial colleagues at the courthouse. There were accusations of mismanagement, battles over parking spaces, and name calling, exchanges in a series of letters and emails between judges that were eventually made public.

Morten, however, kept his job, and title but wasn't allowed to sit as a judge. He received his full annual salary and benefits of $213,000 until his retirement at 65. He was re-assigned to other duties and worked out of another office near Peel's main criminal courthouse.

His case was to be heard before the Ontario Judicial Council in May 2006 but a deal was struck in March 2006 to avoid the lengthy hearing.

Morten was named Brampton's Citizen of the Year in 2002. Formal complaints were filed against him by several judges in 2003 in connection with incidents dating back to 2000.

The complaint filed with the Ontario Judicial Council indicated Morten had been "rude, insulting and disrespectful" toward his fellow Brampton judges, including the region's senior Ontario Court judge at the time. He was alleged to have attacked their competence and work ethic, failed to pull his own weight in court, and made "disparaging and insulting" comments about court operations.

One judge described Morten as "a bully, " another called him "abusive." Another judge complained he was called a "jerk" while waiting for an elevator in the courthouse.

As a result of the mediated deal, the complaints were dismissed. Morten and his lawyer had tried to keep the hearing closed to the public but the panel rejected the request.

Morten had complained to supervising judges that he was treated as a "whipping boy" or "mule" by fellow judges, whom he claimed were too incompetent to finish their trial list. He alleged one judge closed court early, leaving accused people in custody, so he could take his children to an 'NSync concert.