New York Judge Fines Himself

Village Justice Fines Himself for Missing Court Date
The New York Law Journal by Andrew Keshner  -  April 16, 2012

A village court justice on Long Island has fined himself for failing to appear at his own court one evening. South Floral Park Village Court Justice Michael Santo fined himself $150 and forfeited his monthly $100 payment for his court appearance, saying he had no excuse for his March 19 absence "except for his failure to properly monitor his own personal and professional calendar, and "it is this 'excuse' which fails and is unacceptable." Serving as a village court justice since 1995, Santo noted that until his recent absence, he was only late one other time and had missed another appearance due to sickness.  In his March 20 one-page order, Santo said "the good people of this Village" come to the court to resolve a variety of tickets and violations. To function, the court also requires the presence of a court clerk, prosecutor, code enforcement officer and bailiff, he pointed out. Saying he was "humbled," Santo wrote in In re: Justice Michael Santo that he "offers an apology to all in a manner as public as possible and in order to demonstrate the sincerity of his position."  In an interview, Santo, who is trial counsel at Duffy & Duffy based in Uniondale, said he missed the Monday evening court date due to an unexpected opportunity to leave the following morning for Washington, D.C., to research the origins of a color reproduction of a Picasso owned by a friend. "It caught me off guard and everything fell out of place," he said. "It was the right thing to do," Santo said of his self-imposed fine, adding, "Who else is going to knock me over the head or chastise me?"