NY judge suspended while facing felony DUI charge
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A New York judge who was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence with a child in her vehicle has been suspended with pay.
The New York State Court of Appeals on Thursday suspended Lindley Town Justice Julie Kuck, who faces charges of aggravated driving while under the influence with a child under age 15, a felony. She also faces misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle with a blood-alcohol of more than .08%.
According to Law.com, the charges stem from a June 14 traffic stop.
Robert Tembeckjian, the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct’s administrator and counsel, recommended that Kuck remain suspended with pay until the criminal charges are resolved.
In a letter sent Friday to the Court of Appeals, Tembeckjian said the commission “renders no comment on the merits of the pending criminal charge against Kuck and recognizes that she, as any defendant, is entitled to the presumption of innocence.”
However, Tembeckjian also said that public confidence in the judiciary and justice system would be undermined if Kuck continued her duties in one court while defending herself against serious charges in another court.
“The Commission notes that, while the filing of felony charges against a judge or justice in this state is rare, it has been the Court’s general practice in such cases to suspend the defendant from judicial office, with pay, while the charges are pending, in recognition of the presumption of innocence,” Tembeckjian wrote.
Kuck, whose term expires in December 2025, did not return a request for comment from the ABA Journal.
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