Town court judge resigns after using this excuse to avoid jury duty
A town court judge in Rensselaer County, New York, has resigned after allegedly asserting that he should not serve on a grand jury because he is a judge, and he thinks that people who appear in his court are guilty. (Image from Shutterstock)
A town court judge in Rensselaer County, New York, has resigned after allegedly asserting that he should not serve on a grand jury because he is a judge, and he thinks that people who appear in his court are guilty.
Judge Richard T. Snyder of the Petersburgh Town Court in New York agreed to resign and never return to the bench, according to a Feb. 4 press release by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
Snyder made the comments in October 2023 after expressing concern that he could not serve because he wouldn’t be able to return to his court in time for evening sessions, according to a transcript and a November 2024 complaint by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
“I know everybody come in front of me, I know they are guilty. They would not be in front of me,” Snyder allegedly said.
After being told to take a seat, Snyder raised his hand and approached the Rensselaer County judge presiding over the grand jury empanelment, according to the transcript.
“I just think I cannot do it because being a judge and everything,” Snyder said.
“You don’t think you can be impartial?” the grand jury judge asked.
“No. It would not be fair,” Snyder replied.
When appearing for testimony in the ethics case in July 2024, Snyder said he thought that people who appear before him “did something wrong,” and “that’s how they got a ticket,” the ethics complaint says.
Snyder did say, however, he knows that people who are charged are innocent until proven guilty, and there must be proof of the crime.
“In my court, I treat everybody the same: equal, fair, honest,” he said.
“I try to get everybody on the right track, you know, work with them and help them out,” he said.
Snyder also said during the disciplinary hearing he didn’t want to serve on the grand jury because he cares for a grandchild, and his family is his No. 1 priority. He said he should have mentioned that to the grand jury judge, but he figured that he wasn’t going to be picked because he is a judge.
Snyder represented himself before the commission. He is not a lawyer, but he did take judicial training. He has been a judge since 2014.
The ABA Journal was unable to reach Snyder by emailing and phoning the town court where he used to work.
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