That’s the question a lot of outraged taxpayers in the District of Columbia have been wondering ever since we first heard about administrative law judge Roy Pearson’s outrageous $54 million (then $65 million) law suit against the owners of Custom Cleaners for misplacing his favorite pair of pants. Just before his law suit became pun fodder for headline writers all over the world, the city’s chief administrative law judge, Tyrone Butler, recommended approval of Pearson’s application for a renewed 10-year contract based on his job performance. But a short time later, Butler withdrew his recommendation, publicly offering that after everything that had come out about Pearson’s character since the law suit, he did not expect the three-person commission that would ultimately make the decision to reappoint him.

Now the Examiner is reporting that the panel adjourned Wednesday night without deciding whether to fire Pearson. It may be hard to imagine what factors the commission could be considering that wouldn’t lead to an immediate decision of “this guy shouldn’t be a judge,” but it’s easier to see that many eyes are on them as they deliberate, and so they wouldn’t want to be seen rushing to judgment. The panel is expected to reach a decision early next week.

Judges in general are rarely fired, and the story also points out that Pearson could be the first judge of his rank to be fired by this commission. D.C. Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff ruled against Pearson in his lawsuit against the Chung family at the end of June, and the Chungs’ attorney has said he expects Pearson to file an appeal.