Judges Are People Too

Remember how I said yesterday it was a bad idea to lie to a judge? It's bad to make them angry, too.

Restaino, who became a full-time judge in 2002 after serving part-time since 1996, was hearing domestic violence cases when a phone rang.

"Everyone is going to jail," the judge said. "Every single person is gong [sic] to jail in this courtroom unless I get that instrument now. If anybody believes I'm kidding, ask some of the folks that have been here for a while. You are all going."

When no one came forward, the judge ordered the group [of 46 people] into custody and they were taken by police to the city jail, where they were searched and packed into crowded cells. Fourteen people who could not post bail were shackled and bused to the Niagara County Jail in Lockport, a 30-minute drive away.

Okay, okay. This happened two years ago; he was removed from the bench this morning. Still, those folks did end up in jail, however briefly, at the whim of a judge. A disciplinary panel was required to remind the judiciary once again that "judge" is related to "judgment."

posted by Gabriel Malor at 02:17 AM

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