Maryland judge banned after ordering electric shock for defendant

ANNAPOLIS Md. (Reuters) - Maryland's top court has banned a judge from hearing cases after he ordered that an electric shock device be used on a defendant, a Maryland judiciary spokeswoman said on Wednesday. Charles County Judge Robert Nalley, who retired this year but was permitted to hear cases by the Court of Appeals, was barred because of a courtroom incident in July. Delvon King, of Waldorf, Maryland, was representing himself in a gun-possession case and questioned whether Nalley had the authority to judge him, local media reported. Nalley told a sheriff's deputy to use a remote control to stun King with a shock device strapped to his ankle. The device, called a Stun-Cuff, delivers a shock of 50,000 volts and lasts five seconds. “Do it," the judge said in a transcript of the hearing cited by news media. "Use it.” King then screamed and fell to the floor. The Court of Appeals barred Nalley from sitting on the bench or hearing cases as of last Friday, said the judiciary spokeswoman, Angelita Plemmer Williams. The court's order does not mention the shocking incident but says there was "good cause" for the ban. (Reporting by John Clarke; Editing by Grant McCool)