A New York state judge who engaged in a prolonged, offensive rant after a melee erupted at a high school graduation party should be removed from office, a judicial watchdog panel ruled.
State Supreme Court Justice Erin Gall, 53, invoked her authority as a judge to try to get uninvited guests arrested, threatened to shoot Black teenagers and bragged that her 18-year-old son had “put the smackdown” on another partygoer, the state Commission on Judicial Conduct said in its report issued Monday.
The commission found that Gall, a white Republican who has served as an elected judge in upstate Oneida County since 2012, “created at least the appearance that she harbored racial bias,” which could undermine public confidence in her integrity.
“Her wide array of misconduct severely undermined public confidence in the judiciary and in her ability to serve as a fair and impartial judge,” the commission said in recommending her removal.
