The Hung Judge

A town court judge should be removed from office, according to a decision of the New York Commission on Judicial Conduct

Respondent, Randy A. Hall, a Justice of the Dickinson Town Court, Broome County, was served with a Formal Written Complaint (“Complaint”) dated March 15, 2023, containing four charges. Charge I alleged that on or about March 3, 2022, during a dispute with another customer at a service station, respondent repeatedly asserted his judicial office with the police including when he called 911 to request their presence. Charge II alleged that from in or about January 2022, when respondent became a Dickinson Town Justice, to on or about March 30, 2022, when all cases pending before him were reassigned, respondent engaged in a pattern of sexually inappropriate, harassing, and unwelcome behavior toward his co-judge and court staff, and made inquiries while in court and on the record about finding employment in the police department. Charge III alleged that in March 2022, while presiding over cases in court, respondent made comments that conveyed the impression that he had prejudged the guilt of three criminal defendants. Charge IV alleged that in or about January 2022, respondent posted sexual and otherwise inappropriate content to his public Facebook page, some of which referenced his judicial office. Respondent did not file an Answer.

Donning the robe

In early January of 2022, when Dickinson Town Court Clerk Stacy Thatcher first met respondent, he requested her assistance in donning a high school graduation gown that he wished to use as a judicial robe. The gown appeared to be too small or tight for him and could not be zipped past his midsection.

Ms. Thatcher obliged. While she crouched down to assist respondent, she suggested he hold his tie so it would not become caught in the zipper of the robe. In reply, respondent remarked that his tie was not the only thing he did not want caught in the zipper, which Ms. Thatcher understood to be a reference to the judge’s genitalia, and which made her very uncomfortable.

In or about late January 2022, respondent approached Judge Groover in their shared chambers with his arms outstretched and asked her to assist with zipping the graduation gown that he was still using as his judicial robe. The robe zipped in the front, and at the time the zipper’s hasp was located near respondent’s groin area. Judge Groover, who was seated at her desk, sternly declined. Respondent laughed and stated, in sum and substance, that Judge Groover was not his mother.

In or about January 2022, while respondent, Ms. Thatcher and Mr. Wallace attended a mandatory sexual harassment awareness and training program, respondent repeatedly made comments mocking the training…

And

In or about January 2022, respondent, while in the courtroom, told a crude and inappropriate joke to Court Clerk Bradley Wallace involving a farmer, marihuana, and sexual intercourse with a pig. When Mr. Wallace did not react to respondent’s joke, he asked if the joke was funny. Mr. Wallace responded that it was not.

 On or about February 8, 2022, in the courtroom, respondent offered Ms. Thatcher a cookie, which she declined, explaining she was a candidate for bariatric surgery. Respondent then commented on her personal appearance by stating, “You’re a good lookin’ girl now. You’ll be a knockout” and “(inaudible) I’m going with a pretty girl, she made you look small. She’s gonna go do that too, so she says.”

On or about February 8, 2022, respondent, while in the courtroom and on the record, engaged in a conversation with Port Dickinson Police Officer Domenico Rossi, who was serving as a court officer, about a “chick” respondent was dating who “started going crazy on (him).” The officer asked respondent if he dumped her yet. Respondent said, “Oh yeah, fuck yeah.” Respondent said the woman “has…one of those multiple personalities” and would call and send him messages that led him to think, “I don’t understand why you’re like that?…You fucking called me up, call me every name in the book, threatening me, threatened to have me arrested, threatened my job. I said what the fuck? You know?” Respondent and the officer then spoke about how people have to be careful what they say, as it could be used against them, after which respondent described for the officer an intimate picture on his phone, saying, “I told you about the tit thing, right?….Well, she sent me a…picture of her tit and her fingernail’s pinching the nipple. I never asked for it . . . and her head wasn’t in it or anything.” Respondent then resumed presiding over matters.

In or about February or March 2022, while in chambers, respondent approached Judge Groover, who was seated at her desk. Respondent told Judge Groover that that he liked her face mask, which had a leopard-print pattern. Respondent then asked whether her mask matched her underwear. Judge Groover responded in a stern tone demanding that respondent step back. Respondent did not apologize or otherwise demonstrate awareness that he had said something inappropriate.

In or about mid-March 2022, while in chambers, respondent asked Ms. Thatcher for assistance finding a flight to Florida so he could attend a family reunion, and she obliged. As Ms. Thatcher leaned over respondent’s desk to access the laptop, he laughed and stated that women do not need men like men need women and added “you know it when you hear the humming,” which Ms. Thatcher understood to be a reference to a vibrator, and which made her very uncomfortable.

In or about February 2022, Ms. Thatcher became so uncomfortable with respondent’s inappropriate comments that she refused to clerk for him on the bench.

Eventually

Judge Groover, Mr. Wallace and Ms. Thatcher ultimately reported their concerns about respondent’s conduct to the Sixth District Administrative Office of the Unified Court System.

Facebook posts include

“It was not a hung jury but they say the judge sure is,” with a beaming face emoji.

The commission determined that removal the appropriate disposition. (Mike Frisch)