PORTLAND (AP) – The state’s highest court on Thursday publicly censured a York County probate judge and suspended him for 30 days for violating the Maine Code of Judicial Conduct.

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court said Robert Nadeau’s suspension would be shortened to seven days if he attends a treatment program for depression and participates in a judicial ethics course.

The court ruled in January that Nadeau violated the Code of Judicial Conduct in connection with a political advertisement a week before the 2004 primary. Justices ruled that Nadeau knowingly misrepresented the professional conduct of one of his primary opponents for the office of judge of probate.

On Thursday, justices in a five-page document decided what Nadeau’s punishment should be.

The justices censured and reprimanded Nadeau to let the public know he violated the Code Of Judicial Conduct.

“However, because of the seriousness of the matter, a public censure alone is inadequate,” the justices wrote.

Under the ruling, Nadeau will serve a one-week suspension in May. If he fails to be treated for depression and take an ethics course by Dec. 1, he would serve the remainder of the 30-day suspension.

The justices said that Nadeau’s violation had a serious impact on the other candidate, and possibly on the election.

They also noted that Nadeau violated the Code of Professional Responsibility last year when he sent a “discourteous and degrading” letter to a superior court justice who refused to seal records in connection with a lawsuit brought against Nadeau by two former law partners.

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