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QUEENS---The proposed removal of Queens Supreme Court Justice Laura D. Blackburne from the bench by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct is being opposed by the association representing the state’s 400 Supreme Court judges.
The group is seeking permission from the Court of Appeals to file an amicus curiae brief, saying that Blackburne should be censured rather than removed for helping a participant in drug court evade arrest in the court.
In a 9-2 vote in November, the judicial commission recommended that Blackburne, 67, be removed from office for directing a court officer to escort a defendant out of the courthouse through the judge's private entrance in order to elude a detective who was waiting to arrest the defendant after his appearance in Drug Court before Blackburne.
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/112405QueensJudge.html
The judge’s group said in its brief that Blackburne had acted out of concern to “preserve the integrity” of Drug Court and said that with a police officer outside of her courtroom waiting to arrest a participant, she was concerned that “the drug treatment court not be perceived as coordinating with police to arrest defendants who appear for the purpose of furthering their drug treatment programs”.
The NAACP and Queens Bar Association have already filed amicus curiae briefs on behalf of Blackburne, acknowledging that while she made a mistake, removal wasn’t warranted. 2-28-06
© 2005 North
Country Gazette
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