An Inappropriate Colloquy Gets A Judge Admonished

A Buffalo City Court judge has been admonished by the New York Commission on Judicial Conduct.

The misconduct took place during a custodial arraignment of a 17 year old who was facing several charges.

At one point, the judge asked the defendant if he knew what "thuggery" meant and called him "Mr. Tough guy." The defendant responded with a series of truly ugly profanities and told the judge to "suck my dick."

The judge's response: "Why don't you pull it out for me" and then "[p]robably need a magnifying glass."

The governing principle as articulated by the commission: "Even in the face of provocative, disrespectful comments by a litigant, a judge is required to be an exemplar of decorum and dignity in the courtroom and not allow the proceedings to devolve into an undignified exchange of taunts, insults and obscenities." (Mike Frisch)