From Patrick v. Daily Beast, decided today by Judge Joshua Wolson (E.D. Pa.):
Being a Judge is a great job. But it comes with downsides. What we do, we do in public, and we subject ourselves to public discussion and criticism of our decisions, both fair and unfair. Federalist No. 78 noted the importance of Judges being independent of the "effects of those ill humors, which are the arts of designing men, or the influence of particular conjunctures [that] sometimes disseminate among the people themselves." That remains just as true today as it was in the 18th Century. Being a judge requires a thick skin and a willingness to make decisions in the face of criticism, even unfair criticism, and to remember that sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me.
After Judge Paula Patrick issued a controversial decision about a statue of Christopher Columbus in South Philadelphia, she came in for scrutiny and criticism. An article in the Daily Beast referred to her as "QAnon-linked" in her headline. Judge Patrick says that's neither true nor fair, so she filed suit, claiming that the article paints her in a false light. But Judge Patrick has failed to plead facts that make it plausible that the Daily Beast or its reporter Laura Bradley acted with actual malice in their reporting. Because Judge Patrick failed to plead an element of her false light claim and admitted she has nothing more to plead, I will dismiss her Amended Complaint with prejudice….
Judge Patrick has served on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas since her election in 2003. In 2021, she lost a bid for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in the Republican primary. Judge Patrick participated in many events as part of her Supreme Court campaign.
Among these campaign events was a 40-minute video interview on Up Front in the Prophetic with QAnon supporter Prophetess Francine Fodsick. QAnon supporters believe, without evidence, that President Trump was elected to defeat a purported cabal of cannibalistic pedophiles in the government. During the interview with Prophetess Francine, Judge Patrick did not refute that she was considering attending a conference associated with QAnon that year. Judge Patrick's name later appeared on a list of speakers for the conference, though she did not attend. Judge Patrick disavowed any QAnon link in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer.
