Judge admits not knowing the law, refusing to wear judicial robes, according to misconduct complaint - NJ.com
A state Supreme Court disciplinary committee has filed a formal complaint against a Camden County judge accused of misconduct and violating his ethical obligations during a brief tenure in family court last year.
The Advisory Committee on Judicial Misconduct charged that Superior Court Judge Michael Kassel publicly stated his discontent with the reassignment and repeatedly failed to properly prepare himself for hearings, thus “impugning the integrity of the judiciary.”
Kassel, who usually works in Camden County’s civil division, was temporarily assigned to the family division in April 2021 and heard family court cases one day a week for a two month period. Over the course of 16 separate incidents in that timeframe, Kassel “remarked to litigants and their counsel appearing before him that he lacked familiarity with their case, was ignorant of the applicable law and incapable of adjudicating family court matters, and expressed dissatisfaction with the temporary assignment and the method by which that assignment was made,” the ACJC wrote in its formal complaint.
During one hearing, Kassel is said to have informed litigants and present counsel that he “knew very little about the applicable laws” and advised they “treat [him] like I’m a ninth grader in high school.”
During another court proceeding, Kassel remarked that “you could get a guy off the street that’s more experienced than me with this stuff.”
Kassel is also accused of failing to wear judicial robes, propping his feet up on his desk, and admitting he “liked” the defense counsel, with whom he was previously acquainted, during one virtual hearing. His actions violated the integrity of the court, expectations of decorum, and appearances of impartiality, according to the complaint filed by Maureen Bauman, the committee’s disciplinary counsel.
Each year, about 400 misconduct complaints are filed against judges in New Jersey, according to an examination by NJ Advance Media of state data. It is rare, however, for a complaint to result in a judge being publicly disciplined.
According to data from 2019, the state Supreme Court has suspended just eight judges without pay and banned five permanently from the bench since 2004.
The Advisory Committee on Judicial Misconduct files complaints after establishing probable cause for the imposition of public discipline. Under court rules, Kassel has 20 days to answer the committee’s charges, after which the committee may convene a formal hearing on whether to recommend discipline to the Supreme Court.
Discipline can take the form of public reprimand, censure, suspension, or removal from the bench.
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source: https://www.nj.com/camden/2022/04/judge-admits-not-knowing-the-law-refusing-to-wear-judicial-robes-according-to-misconduct-complaint.html
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