Accused family court judge says he doesn't remember alleged inappropriate behavior
The Asbury Park Press by Michelle Sahn - February 15, 2012
An Ocean County family court judge accused of inappropriately touching women and making inappropriate comments at a holiday party says he does not remember doing so, but “does not question the perceptions of those who have alleged otherwise.” If it happened, it may have been the result of “having a little too much to drink,” and state Superior Court Judge Marquis D. Jones Jr. is mortified, according to a legal document filed by his attorney last week. According to the Jan. 18 complaint filed by the Supreme Court of New Jersey’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct, the holiday party was hosted by the Ocean County chapter of the Probation Association of New Jersey. Jones, who has been a judge since 2008 and sits on the bench in Toms River, was invited to the party by a probation officer who worked in the Child Support Enforcement Unit and appeared before him in court on a weekly basis, the complaint said. During the party, Jones “inappropriately touched multiple female probation officers and an employee of the establishment at which the party was held, without their consent, and made several inappropriate and/or sexually suggestive remarks to these women,” according to the complaint. In his formal answer to that complaint, Jones, 53, said he attended the party in Toms River in December 2010 at the invitation of a member of the Ocean County Probation Department. Jones said he simply thought it was a gathering of probation employees and had never heard of the Probation Association of New Jersey until he received a letter from the advisory committee in July. That letter was his first notice of the alleged inappropriate conduct, he said in the legal documents filed by his Toms River-based attorney, William Cunningham.
Formal response
According to Jones’ formal answer filed with the court: Jones paid for his own drinks and bought drinks for others at the party. He “does not have any recall of inappropriately touching anyone or making inappropriate comments,” the answer said. “However, Respondent (Jones) does not question the perceptions of those who have alleged otherwise. He does not have a present intention to require their personal appearance and testimony in this matter. However, if Respondent was inappropriate, it was perhaps the result of having a little too much to drink, in the Holiday spirit.” The judge “has taken steps, both before and after this event, to see to it that such conduct will never happen again.” He is “embarrassed and mortified by the events in question” and apologizes to those who were offended, to the judiciary and to his family. Officials have said Jones will remain on the bench until the committee members make a recommendation to the state Supreme Court about what, if any, action should be taken. If the committee determines he committed misconduct, it can recommend a reprimand, censure, suspension or his removal from the bench. His attorney said because of the sensitive nature of the matter, it would be inappropriate for him to comment at this time. Michelle Sahn: msahn@njpressmedia.com
Horny.... and drunk..... and not a good example of who we need adjudicating the law.
ReplyDeleteWhy hasn't this guy been removed from the bench pending a full inquiry?
ReplyDeleteA NY Judge was charged with a lot worse and not only did he stay on the bench with other female workers..but amazingly he was elected to Family Ct..and the sole area Newspaper that was conducting their own investigation and possessed facts against him, still ENDORSED this judge for Family Ct... where he worked for another 3 yrs, with female workers, before he was eventually removed as a sitting judge there.
ReplyDeleteThe CJC had plenty of evidence to indicate this judge was big trouble as a sitting judge...as he had a prior prosecuted event by them just one year earlier, where CJC let him keep his judgeship..even though he was attempting to heavily influence a local police dept to release a deft.. a family friend and ex- business partner.
At the very least this Judge should have been suspended from bench duties and working with female employees, because their were allegations by 5 female ct workers that indicated he had sexual abuse problems etc and possibly drug issues, as he would lay his drugs out on his office table shwoing at least one hundred or more varieties. I saw all of this.
What OCA did instead is create devastation for the most telling of the females involved for the past 21 yrs..creating a situation in the NY Cts that is in not only embarrassing but stunning in it's details that exist today!
Courts are not dealing with judges that exhibit violations of civil or criminal behavior..they are smashing the hell out of the victims who have courage to report it and covering up the dirt with their own crimes that are too awful to relate..in Nixon style politics..where they say..The cover-up is ALWAYS worse then the crime.
I see nothing changing until the NYC Administration is 'forced" to legally and intelligently correct judicial abuse and crimes, while not playing Catholic church with the offenders!
The judge probably did grope many females and probably does not remember because he was soooo intoxicated. Another reason he should be off the bench is his alcoholism. Alcoholism is not an excuse, its a reason to remove for unfittness.
ReplyDeleteWhoops, a misspelling, time for another (hiccough) beer or three or six!
Please have compassion for a hard working judge. The fault lies with the booze and not the bozo.
ReplyDeleteThe scary thing is is that this is the man who took my children from me, I have been crying out for help to have someone review my case and no one will listen meanwhile my two children are sitting in a mentally abusive foster home thanks to him HELP!!!!!
ReplyDeleteBeing drunk at a holiday party has nothing to do with job performance or we all might be fired. It did not say he was ever drunk or drinking at work. What did you do to even put yourself in that position????? Stop blaming others for your faults.
ReplyDeleteIts absolutely disgusting that this man can remain on the bench as a FAMILY/DYFS judge.
ReplyDelete