[Editors note: Welcome to the inaugural edition of the the amNew York Law Bench Report, where we will feature notable rulings from state and federal judges, brief news bulletins that impact the judiciary and announcements from judges’ chambers. Are we missing anything? Contact editor-in-chief Andrew Denney at adenney@schnepsmedia.com]
Judge elected in 2023 resigns amid DWI probe
A Western New York judge facing an investigation by a state judicial ethics watchdog into his 2024 conviction for driving while intoxicated has stepped down from the bench.
According to a news release from the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, Reid Johnson, a justice of the Ellington Town Court in Chautauqua County who was elected to office in 2023, pleaded guilty to charge of driving while ability impaired and paid a $500 fine.
The commission informed Johnson in July that it was investigating the matter — as well as an allegation that the judge identified himself as a member of the bench during his arrest, the news release states.
“Drinking and driving, which threatens public safety as well as the motorist, also undermines faith in the courts when the offender is a judge,” Commission Administrator Robert Tembeckjian said in a news release. “The offense is compounded where the driver invokes judicial office when stopped by the police. Judge Johnson’s resignation from the bench brings this matter to an appropriate conclusion.”
Johnson, who is not a lawyer, represented himself in the matter. Deputy Administrator John J. Postel, Senior Attorney Cassie M. Kocher and Senior Investigator Betsy Sampson appeared on behalf of the commission.
Manhattan DA office’s refusal to name victim in identity theft case could be ‘illegal practice,’ judge finds
The defendant, identified in court papers as Ali A., faces a misdemeanor charge of third-degree identity theft. Ali A. has twice appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Valentina Morales’ alternative-to-incarcerations court part.
On both occasions — Sept. 29 and Oct. 6 — Morales told the prosecutor on the case that she would not accept a plea from the defendant until the name of the aggrieved person in the matter is revealed.
“Taking the position that they never need to name the aggrieved party in a misdemeanor complaint, unless by their own grace, the People have refused to provide the identity of the complainant to the defense and to the court — even under protective seal as repeatedly offered here,” Morales wrote in court papers.
During the Oct. 6 appearance in the case, Morales ruled from the bench the criminal complaint as so “jurisdictionally defective” that she lacks the authority to accept a plea from the defendant.
“This court has cautioned the People — and now does so again — that insofar as the identity of the aggrieved party is clearly subject to CPL 245 disclosure, any such attempt is tantamount to the illegal practice of conditioning a plea on the waiver of discovery,” Morales explained in a subsequent Oct. 29 ruling that lays out the judge’s reasoning for the bench ruling,
Morales also suggested that New York’s appeals courts have yet to address a key question raised by the case: “whether reasonable cause, due process, and the protection against double jeopardy are satisfied when the government refuses to divulge the name of a complainant-informant.”
The case is captioned People v. Ali A., CR-018210-25NY
Former Bronx prosecutor who pleaded guilty of fraud is disbarred
An ex-prosecutor who earlier this year copped to charges that she and relatives allegedly lied on city applications to obtain affordable housing they were not eligible to receive has been stripped of her law license.
In February, former Bronx assistant district attorney Jennifer Jacques pleaded guilty to charges that she and some of her family members gave false information on applications to rent and own affordable housing units as part of a scheme that secured the family members hundreds of thousands of dollars in ill-gotten benefits, according to an Oct. 23 ruling by a panel from the Appellate Division, First Department.
Jacques pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny and other charges related to the scheme, and was sentenced to five years’ probation, court papers state. The First Department panel noted in its ruling that, under New York law, a felony conviction for an attorney results in automatic disbarment.
First Department Justices Saliann Scarpulla, Ellen Gesmer, Llinett M. Rosado, Kelly O’Neill Levy and Marsha D. Michael joined on the unanimous decision.
The case is captioned Matter of Jacques, 2025-04771
