"Upstate N.Y. judge resigns after accusations" Associated Press, April 10, 2013
ELMIRA, N.Y. — A city court judge accused of graphically insulting a colleague, putting his daughter on a jury, and making a court attorney represent his relatives in traffic court for free has resigned, a state panel announced Tuesday....
Elmira City Court Judge Thomas E. Ramich was accused of making a part-time court attorney perform work without pay, including representing his girlfriend, daughter, and brother-in law for speeding tickets. Another time, Ramich told the attorney to pick up a package and called him an idiot when he went to the wrong location, according to the complaint.
Ramich also was accused of making an off-color joke at a police dinner about a colleague’s genitals.
He is accused of making 25 defendants donate to local charities as a condition of having their cases adjourned and of allowing his daughter to serve on a jury in a trial he presided over. The father and daughter talked about the case after the conviction but before the defendant’s sentencing, according to the complaint.
Ramich did not return a message left at his home seeking comment. In his resignation letter, he said he has tried to maintain a good quality of life in Elmira during his time on the bench.
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