Judge Censured

The New York Commission on Judicial Conduct has censured a judge for conduct described in a press release

The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct has determined that County Court Judge Gregory P. Storie (St. Lawrence County) should be censured for making statements conveying his bias against a defendant and indicating his sentencing decision would be influenced by public opinion.

Judge Storie, who had been confidentially cautioned by the Commission for other misconduct only a month earlier, agreed to the censure.

Beginning in 2022, Judge Storie presided over a high-profile murder trial, People v Snow. St. Lawrence County District Attorney Gary M. Pasqua and Public Defender James M. McGahan were the lawyers. In January 2023, while conferencing unrelated cases in chambers with Mr. McGahan and an assistant district attorney who was not involved in the Snow case, Judge Storie raised the Snow case, asked whether the defendant would plead guilty as charged, and said he would impose a sentence of 25 years to life, because anything less would not look good to the media or to the victim’s family. When asked what incentive there would be to plead guilty under such circumstances, the judge replied that the defendant may do it because he appeared to be “catatonic.” Subsequently, as a result of the judge’s comments, Public Defender McGahan and DA Pasqua jointly requested that Judge Storie recuse himself from the Snow case, which he did.

Prior caution

In December 2022, Judge Storie was privately cautioned by the Commission for (1) publicly endorsing other candidates for elective office, and posting and/or soliciting posts of photographs of voted ballots on his campaign’s Facebook page; (2) failing to disqualify himself from a matter notwithstanding that he was related to the victim and the victim’s mother, a witness in the case; and (3) arbitrarily increasing bail following an application for bail reduction.

Syracuse.com reported on the underlying criminal case. (Mike Frisch)