NY: Town Court Justice in Ulster County Resigns

Jonathan D. Katz, a part-time Justice of the New Paltz Town Court (Ulster County), has resigned while under formal disciplinary charges by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct. He was charged with taking judicial action in a criminal case against the husband in a domestic matter, at the same time he was serving as lawyer for the wife in a related divorce action. Judge Katz, who resigned from office effective August 8, 2019, has agreed never to seek or accept judicial office at any time in the future. The Commission accepted a stipulation to that effect signed by the judge and the Commission’s Administrator and closed its formal proceeding. Judge Katz was served with a Formal Written Complaint dated February 21, 2019, containing two charges stemming from his taking judicial action in a criminal case against a defendant whose wife he was then representing in a related matrimonial proceeding. The judge was charged with signing an arrest warrant and a “stayaway” order of protection against the defendant/husband despite his conflict of interest, and with continuing to represent the wife in the divorce proceeding notwithstanding having acted as a judge in the related criminal case. Judge Katz waived the statutory provision of confidentiality applicable to Commission proceedings, to the limited extent that the stipulation and Commission’s order accepting it and closing the case would be public. Judge Katz, has been a Justice of the New Paltz Town Court since 1995. His current term would have expired on December 31, 2021.