Foul-Mouthed NY Judge Disciplined for Demeaning Comments in Court
The New York Law Journal by Joel Stashenko - July 1, 2008
An upstate Family Court judge has been admonished for making demeaning comments to two incarcerated men who sought to assert custody rights over their children and for using a vulgarity in court to refer to another party before him. The Commission on Judicial Conduct found that Broome County Family Court Judge Spero Pines failed to display the dignity and decorum required of a judge. "Respect for the fairness and impartiality of the court is better fostered by a judge's patience and courtesy than by anger, sarcasm and disrespect," the agency held in a decision released yesterday. Judge Pines accused both incarcerated men of "wasting my time" by seeking to have counsel assigned by the court to help them contest custody petitions filed by the mothers of their children. In one case, the mother was also in jail and Judge Pines told both spouses, "As far as I'm concerned, you're not in a position to take care of pets, much less children."
In the other matter, Judge Pines referred to the defendant in a family offense petition as an "asshole" within earshot of court personnel, though the subject of his insult and other parties in the case had left the courtroom. The commission indicated it was stopping at an admonition for Judge Pines, an attorney, because he was contrite about his wrongdoing, cooperated with the commission and had an otherwise unblemished 14-year record as a Family Court judge. Commission members Joseph W. Belluck and Richard D. Emery agreed with the admonition for the first two cases, but dissented over the judge's vulgarity. Messrs. Belluck and Emery held that the comment was made by Judge Pines during a private conversation with his staff and did not constitute misconduct.
he seems blunt spoken, at least he says what's on his mind
ReplyDeleteWhat a bunch of garbage. So this judge gets a little angry and yells a bit. Oh, and he called someone an asshole. Most of these judges should earn $500,000.00 a year for the kinds bull@%$% and assholes they have to put up with.
ReplyDeleteWhat I want to know is what happen to MY complaint that I filed against a NYC judge who committed a CRIME. I gave them the proof, and they did nothing!!
I guess he was one of the slimebags connected to the bossess.
How can I get my CJC complaint to this blog for publication, but I don't want my name on it?
Like the man has said: they take the itty bitty complaints against those judges of no connection and make it appear as though the judge is taking a beating.
ReplyDeleteMy friends if I told you who told me that don't take too much stock in what the CJC does, I will 'effin guarantee you this Board would light up like the Macy's 4th of July fireworks display over the NYC East River.
Sorry, you just have to trust me on that one.
Also told me that the Grievance Committee, don't hold your breath.
The SIC, another joke in motion. I was told that by two people very close to the SIC, or were close, and that was when they did try to do something real.
They pick out those cases that will not get anyone upset and issue a report. When the SIC did a critical report of the NYSP in 1980, the Commissioner got fired.
In the 1989 SIC Report after one of the most scathing reports ever came from that body, the SIC budget was halved, thereby causing the Commission to lay off scores of investigators and others.
It is all bullshit!
The ONLY thing that gets these misfits to do anything is to get it out there in the public eye. The Marty Tankleff Case should make that very obvious to all of you.
That case was won by the PR, and with a lot of help by a lot of lawyers. But it all meant crap if the publicity didn't force the Appellate Court to reverse the conviction.
Getting things out is up to the media and they KNOW what is going on...butttt...they are running from something.They are not really scared of OCA, but more worried that the public and criminal element, will develop a major dis-respect for law and order and possibly go on an anti government, political rampage! This is my impression from dealing with the media ,regarding the dirty deeds of OCA in the past!
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