Judge John Peyton Jr. Resigns After D Magazine Story About His Affair

In April of last year, Jamie Thompson wrote a story for the magazine titled “Ardor in the Court.” It dove into a curious fix in which Judge John Peyton Jr. had found himself when a lawyer he was having an affair with wound up trying a case in his probate court. Judge Peyton could have recused himself; he didn’t. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct opened an investigation into the matter, having been alerted to the impending story. While the commission did not announce that it had found evidence of wrongdoing, Peyton chose to resign today rather than face possible disciplinary action. Here is the signed agreement, which mentions the D Magazine story.