A New Jersey Superior Court Judge, who incredulously asked a sexual assault victim if she could’ve closed her legs in an attempt to prevent a rape, has been recommended for a three-month unpaid suspension by a ethics committee.
According to FoxNews, a nine-member judicial panel submitted a 45-page recommendation to the New Jersey Supreme Court affirming that Judge John Russo violated ethical rules of conduct in 2016.
A woman appeared before Judge Russo to request a restraining order against a man who she alleged had sexually assaulted her. After describing how the man had forced her to have sex with him, a courtroom transcript included in the complaint revealed Russo responded to her account by asking her “Do you know how to stop somebody from having intercourse with you?”
The woman answered the judge by saying that one way to prevent sexual contact is to run away. Judge Russo showed great insensitivity by adding, “Close your legs? Call the police? Did you do any of those things?”
The ethics panel concluded that Russo’s conduct “was not only discourteous and inappropriate but also egregious given the potential for those questions to re-victimize the plaintiff.”
The report went on to criticize Russo’s behavior in the 2016 case by saying it demonstrated “an emotional immaturity wholly unbefitting the judicial office and incompatible with the decorum expected of every jurist.”
Judge Russo filed a response last month claiming that his questions to the plaintiff was not meant to humiliate the woman but was more-so intended to obtain more information.
The State Supreme Court will conduct a final hearing on July 9th.
