Judge resigns following this alleged response to guests who were not invited
Judiciary
Judge resigns after this alleged response to uninvited party guests
December 23, 2024, 11:20 am CST
A New York judge has agreed to resign and never against seek judicial office after she was accused of engaging “in a racially offensive, profane, prolonged public diatribe” stemming from a graduation party fight in which her son was injured.
Judge Erin P. Gall of New York’s trial-level supreme court in Oneida County, New York, revealed her decision in a motion filed Wednesday with the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, report Law.com, the New York Times and the Times Union.
Gall said her two sons had received several death threats after the incident resulted in national news coverage, and “the fear has been immeasurable and terrifying. I don’t think I can continue to argue this appeal because I fear my family is in danger again. She also allegedly said to a policeman that her son was going to business school next fall, while the four Black teenagers “don’t seem that smart.” They’re not going to business school, that’s for sure.”
The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct had sought removal from office in a July 17 determination.
The problems began after several people thought to be uninvited guests arrived at the party sometime after 11 p.m., and one of them overturned a tray of food, according to the commission. Gall’s husband and then-18-year-old son began directing guests away from a tent and onto the street. Gall’s husband and then-18-year-old son began shepherding guests away from a tent and to the street.
At some point, Gall’s son was slapped and brought to the ground, where he was “kicked, punched, stomped on and beaten by a group of uninvited unknown individuals,” Gall said in her reply to the ethics charges.
Gall, who is white, yelled at the four Black teens to leave, telling them that she was a judge. She identified herself as a court judge when the police arrived. The commission alleged that Gall “repeatedly invoked [her] judicial office and threatened gun violence and both criticized (and pledged) favored treatment for police.” She is asking the New York Court of Appeals not to make any specific findings, other than removal, to avoid exposing the family to further danger.
