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Joseph A. Portelli
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2016
Joseph A. Portelli is a judge on the Vicinage 11 Superior Court of New Jersey. He serves on the Criminal Part.[1] Portelli was appointed to the court in 2009 by Governor Jon Corzine.[2] He must be reappointed in 2016 to remain on the bench.[3]
Education
Portelli received his J.D. from Widener University.[3]
Noteworthy events
Judicial misconduct allegation (2015)
In September 2015, the New Jersey Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct filed a formal complaint against Judge Portelli for making vulgar and sexually suggestive comments to attorneys and witnesses appearing before him in court. The complaint said that Portelli showed "poor judgment and a lack of dignity and respect for his office."[4]
Portelli allegedly invited a deputy attorney general into his office in May 2014 and made vulgar comments to her, wrote "You look nice today," on a legal pad and showed it to a witness while she was testifying, and showed the same witness a written compliment on a Post-it note about her nails while she was testifying. He filed a response in October 2015 denying all allegations.[4]
His hearing occurred on April 6, 2016. The state committee argued that the judge should be sanctioned for his actions. Portelli's attorney asked that the charges be dropped. The judge was reportedly emotional during the hearing, at one point stepping outside after bursting into tears. He submitted 61 letters from former and current attorneys in support of his character. He denied that his actions were meant in a sexual manner, although he did say about one of his remarks, "I admit it, I should not have said that. It was just a stupid remark."[5]
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ New Jersey Courts, "Passaic Judge Telephone List," accessed April 8, 2016
- ↑ PolitikerNJ, "Governor Corzine Files Prosecutorial and Judicial Nominations," March 16, 2009
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 New Jersey Judiciary, "Judge Biographies," April 4, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 NorthJersey.com, "Hearing set for Superior Court judge in Passaic County facing ethics charges," April 4, 2016
- ↑ NorthJersey.com, "Attorney calls for sanctions against Passaic County Superior Court judge," April 6, 2016
Federal courts:
Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of New Jersey • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of New Jersey
State courts:
New Jersey Supreme Court • New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division • New Jersey Superior Courts • New Jersey Municipal Courts • New Jersey Tax Court
State resources:
Courts in New Jersey • New Jersey judicial elections • Judicial selection in New Jersey
