Judge Susan E. McEwen, who has held court in Feasterville for more than 22 years, is accused of misconduct in a complaint filed yesterday afternoon by the state Judicial Conduct Board.

McEwen, 60, now faces a public trial on the charges before the state Court of Judicial Discipline. If found guilty, McEwen could face sanctions ranging from reprimand to removal.

The charges were made public late yesterday afternoon. McEwen has an unlisted home phone number and could not be reached for comment.

The first charge stems from an underage drinking party held in McEwen's house by her grandson on Nov. 20, 2007. Lower Southampton police broke up the party after being alerted by an anonymous complaint.

McEwen was home at the time but told police she had been asleep and unaware of the party, the complaint states.

Ten youths were cited, including McEwen's grandson Matthew Keller, 18 at the time, who lived with her.

In an interview three weeks later with the Bucks County Courier-Times, McEwen said she was "in trouble" and had been suspended. "You have an 18-year-old, he has an underage drinking party, and you're punished for it," the judge told the newspaper.

The county's president judge assigned the case to another district court nearby. All 10 cases were heard Jan. 9, 2008.

When Keller failed to appear, District Judge Donald Nasshorn found him guilty in absentia and fined him $300, plus $121.41 in court costs, the complaint says.

Keller was scheduled for a Feb. 28, 2008, payment hearing. That day, the complaint says, McEwen took Keller to her court and announced she was reducing his fine.

When her acting court clerk administrator resisted, noting that it was Nasshorn's case, McEwen responded, "This is a case in my court," the complaint says.

She then altered the fine amount on Keller's citation, dropping it from $300 to $150, the complaint says. When Keller missed his first payment and was threatened with arrest, McEwen pulled out her checkbook and paid the balance, according to the complaint.

McEwen's actions brought her office "into disrepute," the charges state, adding that she violated rules calling for impartiality and for judges to remove themselves from cases involving close relatives.

The complaint also accuses McEwen of repeatedly cursing a Warminster Township officer who summoned her at 4 a.m. Sept. 23 to issue an arrest warrant. Even though she was the county's "on-call" district judge that night, McEwen was angry, pointing her finger at the officer, screaming and cursing at him and "speak(ing) in circles," the complaint says.

"I know how you police work," McEwen was quoted as saying, and "the warrant still will be sitting until the following afternoon without being served."

at 215-345-0446 or lking@phillynews.com.