Judge Alison Asti
Court: Circuit Court, Family Division
Location: Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Judge Alison Asti’s tenure in the Hornbeck v. Reichert custody case has raised serious ethical concerns and fueled allegations of judicial misconduct and personal bias. Asti, a retired Republican judge specially assigned to the case, refused to recuse herself despite a documented history of personal and professional conflicts with the father, Jeffrey Reichert. These included shared ties to the same law firm as the opposing party, prior adversarial involvement in business dealings, mutual social media connections, and—most bizarrely—a reported interaction on the dating app Bumble. Asti also allegedly declared Reichert “not credible” mid-testimony, cutting off his defense and redirecting the case to a controversial custody evaluator tied to the same court system.
Critics argue that Judge Asti exemplifies the dangers of unchecked judicial discretion in politically entangled family courts. Her courtroom conduct included denial of discovery, repeated dismissal of motions without explanation, and overseeing orders that many believe directly contributed to Reichert’s alienation from his child and even his temporary jailing. Despite retiring in 2024, she passed the case to another politically affiliated judge without cause. Reform advocates say her role in this case symbolizes Maryland’s broader crisis: a court system that allows conflicts of interest, cronyism, and judicial grudge-carrying to trump truth, fairness, and parental rights.
Asti’s past as executive director of the Maryland Stadium Authority—where a 2007 audit flagged over $1.7 million in financial mismanagement—only adds to the pattern of public mistrust. She won election to the bench amid accusations of campaign impropriety and has long been criticized for lacking meaningful litigation experience before ascending to judicial power.
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