NJ Judge Apologizes for Rant Against Pro Se Litigant
A New Jersey judge accused of launching into a tirade against a pro se litigant in court has apologized for his remarks, which he says may have been inartful but were well-intentioned.
Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Max Baker, in his response to a disciplinary complaint against him, says he was only trying to help the litigant, a woman seeking a restraining order against her husband, understand that denying her husband access to their child would ultimately prove harmful to the child in the long run.
“While the message should have been imparted more cordially and patiently, it was a heartfelt message with the hope of doing justice to the family, not to demean either of the litigants,” Baker told the state’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct in a written statement Aug. 26, according to a report Thursday in the New Jersey Law Journal.
The committee has accused Baker of violating judicial canons that require judges to be patient and courteous with litigants, maintain high standards of conduct and act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.
Baker, then the county’s presiding family court judge, is accused of going off on a rant against litigant Dana Pilla during a hearing last December when she expressed concern about the temporary visitation schedule he had set for her husband, Michael, with the couple’s minor child.
The committee says Baker became irate, screamed at Pilla, accused her of being a bad parent and threatened to jail her if she disobeyed his order concerning visitation.
Baker denies becoming irate or screaming at Pilla, but acknowledges that his words “could have been so interpreted.”
Also see:
New Jersey Law Journal: “Family Judge’s Rant at Pro Se Litigant Draws Ethics Charges”
