Judge Out of Job After Plot to Get Himself Out of Jury Duty Backfires Spectacularly
A judge from Petersburgh, New York, named Richard T. Snyder, resigned after making controversial remarks during jury selection in October 2023. Snyder claimed he could not serve impartially as a juror because he believed all defendants in his court must be guilty. His comments were reported too the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct,leading to an investigation. Although Snyder attempted to clarify his statement by distinguishing between being guilty and being charged, his clarification did not mitigate the situation. He had been a judge since 2014 and would have completed his term in 2025 had this incident not occurred. Following the investigation, he agreed not to serve as a judge again. The commission expressed disappointment in Snyder’s misunderstanding of judicial responsibilities, emphasizing the importance of impartiality in the legal system.
An upstate New York judge resigned after making a startling admission to his fellow jurors in a ploy to escape jury duty.
When Petersburgh Town Justice Richard T. Snyder showed up for his obligation in October 2023, he said he couldn’t ethically serve as a grand juror, according to the New York Post.
The reason?
As a judge by profession, he couldn’t remain impartial because everyone who appeared in his court was guilty, Snyder reportedly said, according to a state commission investigating the incident.
“I know everybody come in front of me. I know they are guilty. They would not be in front of me,” Snyder said, according to court documents.
An upstate New York judge has resigned after he got out of jury duty by claiming that he couldn’t be impartial because he thought everyone brought before a court was guilty. pic.twitter.com/9gFt4UtLfd
— Network Axis Group (@NetAxisGroup) February 5, 2025
The plot worked, and Snyder was released from jury duty, according to ABC News.
But the judge overseeing the jury selection reported Snyder to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, and a months-long investigation followed, the New York Post reported.
Snyder tried defending his comments to the commission.
“I meant, that they were guilty because they did something wrong. But they’re not guilty ‘til they come to court. They’re innocent ’til proven guilty,” he said, ABC reported.
“They did something wrong. That’s why they got a ticket. But they’re not guilty,” he added.
Snyder had worked as a judge since 2014.
If not for this incident, which led to his resigning on Dec. 31, his current judicial term would have concluded at the end of 2025, according to the New York Post.
In a deal with the commission, Snyder agreed to never serve as a judge again, according to ABC News.
Commission Administrator Robert Tembeckjian expressed disappointment with Snyder’s conduct.
“It is bad enough that a judge would seek to avoid such a fundamental civic responsibility as jury service. It is astounding that the judge would claim an inability to be impartial, and to declare under oath that the accused must be guilty or they would not be in court,” Tembeckjian said in a statement, per the New York Post.
“There is no place on the bench for someone who so deeply misunderstands the role of a judge and the administration of justice,” he added.
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