The Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board has announced it will not pursue formal misconduct charges against former Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael Fanning, after he agreed to step down from the bench and permanently forgo any future judicial office, The Legal Intelligencer reported on October 19, 2026.

According to Law360's reporting of the same announcement, the board resolved the ethics investigation in lieu of filing charges in the Court of Judicial Discipline, based on Fanning's consent, resignation and pledge never to serve in judicial office again, and dismissed the matter with a public letter of counsel. Law360 reported the board called the alleged misconduct an "irreparable stain" on his judicial service.

The complaints resolved by the agreement included allegations of disorderly conduct in New Jersey — a drunken disturbance allegation involving staff and police at a Jersey Shore restaurant and marina — and a domestic violence case in Philadelphia. All of these matters were allegations. Fanning was arrested earlier this year, but the criminal charges against him have since been withdrawn, The Legal Intelligencer reported.

The case had already led to interim action months earlier. In a press release dated March 12, 2026, the Judicial Conduct Board said it had filed a petition on March 11, 2026, asking the Court of Judicial Discipline for Fanning's interim suspension without pay, after the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office charged him with several felony and misdemeanor offences. The board's release noted at the time that, as to the pending criminal charges, Fanning enjoyed the presumption of innocence unless and until convicted.

With the criminal charges withdrawn and the conduct cases now closed by agreement, Fanning's judicial career is over by his own consent: he leaves the bench and is barred by his pledge from ever returning to judicial office in Pennsylvania.

Sources: The Legal Intelligencer / Law.com, Oct 19, 2026; Law360 Pulse, Oct 2026; Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board press release, March 12, 2026 (pacourts.us).