United States: an ethics committee has requested the suspension of a judge who has asked a woman to "close her legs"

An ethics committee has recommended suspending a New Jersey judge for three months without payand that he told a woman that "closes the legs" to avoid badual badault.

The committee sent its recommendation to the Supreme Court of the State Wednesday in the case of Judge John Russo, who practices in Ocean County, southern New Jersey. This is with an administrative license since 2017.

The woman appeared before Russo in 2016 to request a restrictive order against a man who he alleged had badually badaulted her. According to the transcript of the dialogue, when the woman described the meeting with the man, Russo asked him: "Do you know how to prevent someone from having relationships with you?"

The woman answered yes and added that one of the ways to do it would be to flee. Russo continued: "Close your legs? Call the police? Have you done any of these things?"

In documents and an audience, Russo denied violating judicial standards and stated that his intention was to obtain more information and not humiliate the woman.

Russo's behavior "was not just unthinking and inappropriate, it was outrageous, given the possibility that these issues may revictimize the applicant, "the committee wrote.

The panel argued that Russo had already violated the rules of conduct on other occasions, for example, when he failed in a case of alimony in which he acknowledged that he knew both parties.

In this case, according to the trial, Russo rescinded an order from another judge who had summoned the man to appear, unless he paid $ 10,000 in arrears.. Russo reduced the amount to $ 300.

In addition to the suspension, The panel recommended that Russo be required to attend a training course on "appropriate behavior in court".

The magistrate will have the opportunity to respond to the recommendation before the final hearing in July.