The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct has recommended the removal of Judge Jeremy L. Persons from his position as a town court justice in Guilford, New York. The decision resulted from the judge’s alleged misconduct, which included making sexual comments to attorneys, displaying inappropriate bumper stickers, failing to attend to his duties, and ignoring traffic tickets.
According to the commission, Persons made inappropriate comments to an assistant public defender during an in-chambers conference, expressing his desire to watch her golf. When the assistant public defender responded that she was not good at golf, Persons said this was not why he wanted to watch her. He also made inappropriate comments in court about his “three-way relationship” with his ex-wife and another woman, using graphic terms to describe his ex-wife’s sexual preferences.
In addition to his comments, Persons also displayed a graphic of “Judge Dredd” on his car, a fictional character known in popular culture as “judge, jury, and executioner.” He also displayed a bumper sticker that said, “Boobies Make Me Smile.” Persons usually parked their cars near a nonpublic entrance, where police officers and defendants could see them.
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Persons also failed to attend to his administrative duties, including filing required monthly reports, which stopped his salary. He also ignored traffic tickets for driving an uninspected vehicle without adequate lights, resulting in two license suspensions. He received another license suspension for lapsed insurance. When communicating about the tickets, he gave a court clerk his New York court system email address.
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Persons did not cooperate in auditing his court records, which led to an order to assign all his cases to another judge. Moreover, Persons carried his gun in a hip holster that was visible when he was not wearing his judicial robe, violating the terms of his gun permit, which required the gun to be concealed. He wore the gun in and just outside the courthouse and placed it on the bench at one point.
The commission deemed Persons’ comments to attorneys and the bumper sticker as “demeaning, undignified, and improper” and that he had “engaged in a pattern of failing to respect and comply with the law.” The commission also found that the Persons’ failure to cooperate with the investigation and proceedings exacerbated his misconduct.
Persons who are not lawyers did not respond to the commission’s complaint. He has been a town court justice since 2020. The commission issued its determination on February 23, and Persons have 30 days to either accept the decision or seek review by the New York State Court of Appeals.
In conclusion, Judge Persons’ alleged misconduct, including his inappropriate comments, display of inappropriate bumper stickers, and failure to attend to his duties, has led to the recommendation of his removal from the bench by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct. If he accepts the decision or fails to seek review, he will no longer be a town court justice in Guilford, New York.
