NY Judge says Lawyer Has "Nice Butt"....(CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY)

Here's a New York Law Journal article by Joel Stashenko:

Jokester NY Judge Censured for "Gross Insensitivity" to Female Attorney....

New York Lawyer - October 11, 2007
By Joel Stashenko - New York Law Journal

A town court judge known for his sense of humor concededly went too far in making references to the physical characteristics of a female attorney and then repeating the comments several times in court, the Commission on Judicial Conduct has concluded.

The commission unanimously censured Justice Edmund V. Caplicki Jr. of LaGrange Town Court in Dutchess County for an "inexcusable" demonstration of "gross insensitivity" to the attorney.

According to the commission, Mr. Caplicki picked up on comments made to him by a defendant he was arraigning early one morning in June 2005. The defendant could not remember his public defender lawyer's name, but said she was "cute" and "had a nice butt." Mr. Caplicki noted the comments on the arraignment sheet and subsequently repeated them at least three times in court when the defendant reappeared before him, according to the commission.

"Respondent is known among local lawyers for his sense of humor, which is often self-effacing, but in this instance he realized he went too far at someone else's expense," the ruling said.

Mr. Caplicki, a lawyer who has been a town court justice since 1974, apologized for his remarks, according to the commission.

In 1978, Mr. Caplicki was also censured by the commission for seeking to fix seven traffic tickets, but the commission noted in its ruling yesterday he has had an "otherwise unblemished" record since.