N.J.S.A. 2C:30-2b criminalizes only the omissions of “a judge who consciously refrains from performing an official non-discretionary duty, which duty is imposed upon him by law or which is clearly inherent in the nature of his office. In addition, the public servant must know of the existence of such non-discretionary duty to act.” The State […]

Unequivocally, “it is the judge’s obligation to see that justice is done in every case that comes before him or her.” A judge must live by this humble maxim, one that, as most sitting judges would agree, is more easily stated than realized. The Code codifies this ideal and provides guidance for the conduct of […]

In Garson, the court reversed the dismissal of an indictment charging the defendant judge with violating New York Penal Law § 200.25, receiving a reward for official misconduct by violating his duty as a public servant, but affirmed dismissal of the indictment charging a violation of § 195.02(2). 848 N.E.2d at 1265. In that case, […]

The State next turns to Canons One and Two of the Code for support. Canon One provides, “An independent and honorable judiciary is indispensable to justice. A judge therefore shall uphold and should promote the independence, integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.” Canon Two states, “[a] judge should avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety […]

The same principle is at the core of State v. Weleck, another pre-Code case. There, the defendant, a borough attorney, was charged with extorting payments from a citizen in return for agreeing to use his influence to secure the passage of a favorable zoning amendment. Once again, the Court held that some duties are inherent […]

On September 11, 2017, a three-judge appellate panel decided the case of State v. Carlia Brady. The principle issue in the case is whether a Superior Court judge be found guilty of criminal official misconduct based on a failure to enforce an arrest warrant for her boyfriend when she neglected to notify police that the […]