Judge

Chief Judge Resigns Following MASSIVE Ethics Violation

The Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals submitted her resignation while the state’s judicial commission was considering a complaint that she improperly tried to affect a disciplinary hearing.

According to individuals knowledgeable about the matter, 66-year-old Judge Janet DiFiore was staring down the business end of a state ethics investigation.

DiFiore apparently will leave at the end of August, according to the resignation letter to her coworkers stating she will“move on to the next chapter of my professional life.” The disgraced jurist did not elaborate on what she plans to do next.

More information of this report from “The Wall Stree Journal” that very first broke the story:

The state’s Commission on Judicial Conduct had been investigating Judge DiFiore for several months in connection with a complaint filed last year by Dennis Quirk, head of the court officers union, according to the knowledgeable people. The commission voted in June to serve Judge DiFiore with a formal written complaint alleging that she improperly used her official position to influence a disciplinary hearing involving Mr. Quirk, those people said.

The formal complaint could have led to a hearing before the commission, which has the power to privately caution judges or issue public admonitions or censures. The commission can also remove judges from office. However, it has no jurisdiction over jurists once they leave office, meaning her resignation effectively ends the investigation.

Mr. Quirk had been subject to a disciplinary hearing after court officials accused him of threatening to retaliate against Judge DiFiore in 2020. Mr. Quirk emailed the judge threatening to share information about her private life after a news report said she ordered an investigation into the union leader’s alleged racism, according to a copy of the email filed in a related court case.

Following the disciplinary proceeding, Mr. Quirk was temporarily suspended from his job as a court officer. In past interviews about the incident, he has denied any racist behavior.

Judicial ethics do not permit judges to utilize their titles to influence legal proceedings for individual gain.

The Daily Caller noted:

In her resignation letter, the judge said she was proud to promote racial equity and guide the court system through the pandemic during her time in office.

DiFiore oversaw one of the largest state court systems in the country and led the state’s highest court since 2016. She was nominated to the Court of Appeals by former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The Commission on Judicial Conduct told the Daily Caller News Foundation that it had no comment on the matter. DiFiore could not be reached for comment.

H/T Patriot Nation Press, DailyCaller, WSJ

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