By Roger Alford
The Associated Press

A former eastern Kentucky judge who resigned amid misconduct charges is now serving as an administrative law judge for the Social Security Administration in Kansas City, Mo., an official said.

Judge Douglas Combs Jr. was facing misconduct charges by the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission when he resigned from the bench in Perry County in April.

The charges included allegations that he used court personnel in his private business, accepted a Las Vegas trip from an attorney who practices in his court, failed to assign trial dates, canceled or continued trial dates for "insubstantial" reasons, and frequently had a staff member hear arguments from attorneys rather than hear them himself.

John Garlinger, a spokesman for the Social Security Administration in Kansas City, confirmed Wednesday that Combs has been hired as an administrative law judge. Combs accepted the position in April.

Even though charges were dropped when Combs resigned, he still was publicly reprimanded by the Judicial Conduct Commission.

Combs, through his attorney, William Johnson of Frankfort, has steadfastly denied the accusations made against him.

Johnson said Combs had sought the administrative law judge position before the Judicial Conduct Commission's inquiry became public knowledge.

"By the time we were getting ready to go through the hearing, he had been offered the position," Johnson said. "That, of course, was one of the reasons, rather than to go through the agony of the hearing, that he made the decision to accept the position and resign as circuit judge."

Johnson said administrative law judges have better job security than circuit judges in Kentucky because they're hired, not elected. The drawback is that accepting the position often requires a cross-country move.

He said Combs still believes political opponents pushed to have the charges brought against him in Perry County.

"He would not be surprised to hear that people are still seeking a pound of flesh," Johnson said.

Combs was suspended with pay eight months after the commission began an investigation in April 2003.

If the charges had been substantiated, Combs would have been permanently removed from the bench, said Stephen D. Wolnitzek, chairman of the Judicial Conduct Commission.

Wolnitzek said the commission did nothing to preclude Combs from serving as an administrative law judge.

"The charges that we filed related only to his work as a circuit judge in Perry County," he said.

Because Combs resigned, Wolnitzek said a public reprimand was the most severe sanction the commission could impose. That reprimand, Wolnitzek said, was imposed unanimously.