NYC judge accused of abusing parking privileges; is it a trend?
A New York City judge has been accused of using her state-issued parking pass to park illegally in her upper West Side neighborhood.
A red Cadillac sedan belonging to Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Eileen Bransten routinely sits parked for hours at a time in “No parking” and “No standing” zones near her home, often at night and on weekends, the New York Daily News reports.
Bransten has a state-issued parking placard that is typically given to judges so they can park at courthouses or crimes scenes without worrying about running afoul of the city’s many parking restrictions. The placard is only supposed to be used while on “official police business,” but the Daily News cited at least two other NYC judges accused of misusing it within the last year.
The Daily News says it spotted Bransten’s car parked in “No parking” or “No standing” zones on three occasions in a week’s time. And neighbors told the newspaper that Bransten’s car has been a fixture in no-parking and no-standing zones near her home for years. Bransten declined to comment.
Judges caught abusing their parking privileges could have their placards revoked. But a spokesman for the state court system said it’s hard to say whether Bransten is doing anything wrong. “There may be a reasonable explanation.”
