Case Closed on Removed Judge

The Albany Times Union reports that,

After a failed battle with a watchdog group that oversees judges, former state Supreme Court Justice Thomas Spargo was removed from the bench on March 31.

But he was not officially booted until May 5, according to a one-page decision by New York's highest court, which came after the controversial election law expert chose not to take his plight further.

. . . it was charges that Spargo pressured lawyers with cases before him to contribute $10,000 each to his defense fund that ultimately brought him down. Spargo admitted during testimony that if panelists believed he had done that, then he should be removed. They agreed.

Now the question is who will replace Spargo.

Gov. George Pataki will appoint a replacement, subject to state Senate approval. Among the names insiders have tossed around are Pataki counsel Richard Plotkin, Albany County attorney Tom Marcelle, Rensselaer County Judge Patrick McGrath and Surrogate's Court Judge Christian Hummel.

Brooklyn Court Scandal Shocker

The New York Daily News reports that,

Officials in Brooklyn Surrogate's Court improperly sold off a piece of East End real estate - never notifying the property's rightful owners, the Daily News has learned . . .

"They've taken everything from the estate and given it to their friends," complained Joseph Smith, 72, one of three brothers who inherited the land.

The mismanaged transaction is now part of a widening criminal probe into the Brooklyn's public administrator's office, the branch of Surrogate's Court that handles the estates of people who die without wills.

In 2002, a News probe exposed how Michael Feinberg, the former Brooklyn surrogate who was kicked off the bench last year, routinely awarded millions of dollars in excessive fees to longtime pal Louis Rosenthal. Feinberg made Rosenthal counsel to public administrator Marietta Small . . .

Investigators sent by Sheryl Spatz, the inspector general for the state courts, were "shocked" at the disorder of estate files in Surrogate's Court, sources said.

"There is such disarray that investigators are trying to determine if it's incompetence or a smoke screen for theft," said a knowledgeable source . . .

Jailed Ex-Judge to be Paroled

According to The New York Daily News,

Disgraced Brooklyn Judge Victor Barron, who pleaded guilty to soliciting a $250,000 bribe in exchange for approving a $5 million personal injury settlement, will soon be paroled . . .

Barron has been in custody since 2002, serving a three-to-nine-year term for bribery. He was granted parole recently after being turned down twice.

The ex-Brooklyn Supreme Court justice will be released May 24, a source said yesterday . . .

Judge Accused of Changing Transcripts

The New York Post reports that,

The state court watchdog is investigating charges that Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Marilyn Diamond changed official transcripts, allegedly to help cover up favorable rulings she made for pals, The Post has learned.

The Commission on Judicial Conduct interviewed court reporter Maurice Schwartzberg two weeks ago - and he admitted making "substantial revisions" to transcripts at the judge's request in one case.

Diamond is the central figure in an FBI probe into whether judges hid personal and professional ties to litigants, then ruled in their favor . . .

A Judge's Removal Considered

Today, The New York Law Journal reports on the oral arguments that were heard Tuesday by the state Court of Appeals, which is considering whether to accept the Commission on Judicial Conduct's recommendation that Queens Supreme Court Justice Laura D. Blackburne should be removed from the bench "for helping a robbery suspect evade police."

Justice Blackburne agrees that her conduct was improper, but is urging the Court of Appeals to impose the less drastic penalty of censure.

Reform of Judge Pick System Discussed

The New York Sun (subscription only) reports that,

Three months after a federal judge struck down the way New York State selects its trial court judges, the city's legal community is far from a consensus about what system should be put in its place.

Several of the city's top attorneys, including the city's corporation counsel, Michael Cardozo, gathered last evening in Midtown at the city bar association building to discuss how New York should select its trial judges . . .

Judge-maker dies

Newsday reports that,

Pasquale Curcio, the Suffolk County Conservative Party chairman whose political clout far exceeded his party's numbers, particularly in local judicial contests, died yesterday after nearly two decades at the party's helm. He was 73.

Curcio died at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip yesterday afternoon after being hospitalized several weeks ago. The wheelchair-bound Curcio, whose speech was limited by past strokes, lost a leg to diabetes. He had battled a variety of illnesses for nearly a decade, but it never interfered with his role as party leader . . .

His ascendancy up the ranks of the Conservative Party began as chairman of the Babylon Conservative Party in 1980. Seven years later, he became co-leader of the Suffolk Conservative Party.

Curcio specialized in seeking judgeships for conservatives over other elected offices . . .

In 1999, he came under scrutiny for collecting more than $100,000 over the previous five years in advertising payments from party candidates for publication in the Torch Tribune, a political paper, with much of the money coming from judicial candidates. The Commission on Judicial Conduct investigated judges who purchased ads, later closing its inquiry but advising judges not to participate in such conduct again . . .

Party officials say that the Conservative Executive Committee will call a meeting within the next 30 days to select Curcio's successor.

In addition to son, he is survived by daughters Christine Curcio and Tracey Curcio, both of Copiague, and five grandchildren. His wife, Marcia, died in 1999. A wake will be held this week at Mangano Funeral Home in Deer Park. He will be buried Friday at Pinelawn Cemetery.

Judge Accused of Contempt of Court

The New York Post reports that,

A Long Island judge is finding herself on the other side of the bench - for allegedly interfering with her ex's visitation rights involving their two sons, according to legal papers and the former hubby.

But a lawyer for the targeted jurist, Nassau County District Court Judge Dana Mitchell Jaffe, 43, retorts that the court motion is a baseless smear campaign launched by Jaffe's embittered ex . . .