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Shame on Seamus? Pa. Justice McCaffery Apologizes for Porn Emails

By William Peacock, Esq. on October 17, 2014 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Look, his name makes for a clever title, but much like the Kansas gubernatorial candidate who once upon a time (allegedly) got a lap dance, I still have no idea why this is a controversy.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Seamus McCaffery looks at porn, as do 66 percent of all men. McCaffery emailed porn and crude jokes back-and-forth with his buddies -- many times, in fact. More than 230 emails were sent or received between him and his buddies, many of whom were using their state government e-mail accounts. McCaffery, at least per previous accounts, was using his personal e-mail address.

But the Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is trying to take him down. McCaffery calls it a "cooked up controversy."

The Full Story?

Many of the cursory accounts of the scandal sound pretty bad: A state Supreme Court justice is sending porn to somebody in the state attorney general's office.

The early reports, which we discussed in our Third Circuit blog, said that he sent at least eight sexually explicit emails, and sent or received 54 such emails, all back in 2008 to 2009, all from a private Comcast email account.

Now, the total is at more than 230. The newer reports don't say whether the additional emails came from his personal account, or to whom exactly they were directed.

But if nothing new has been dug up since the first reports, then this is a case of a guy who is an ex-cop and Marine veteran who sends dirty jokes and pictures to fellow cops and his other buddies. Guys sharing dirty jokes and porn. Oh. My. God.

'Cooked Up Controversy'?

If this sounds to you like a tempest in a teapot, a cooked up controversy, or some other nice way of saying bull[excrement], well, you're not alone. Justice McCaffery issued a semi-apology yesterday before criticizing Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. The spat is just the latest in a long feud between the two justices.

"Personal, private e-mails between me and some longtime friends were never meant to be viewed by anyone else, but they were," McCaffery's statement read. "I sincerely apologize for my lapse in judgment. I erred, and if I offended anyone, I am truly sorry."

He went on to criticize Chief Justice Castille for "a vindictive pattern of attacks," adding, "He is fixated on taking down a fellow justice with his misleading statements and incredible hypocrisy."

Castille previously said that the emails "undermined our moral authority" and "the respect of the citizenry for the court system" before warning, "The high court now needs to ponder possible action."

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