The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct has determined that John R. Peck, a Justice of the Gorham Town Court, Ontario County should be admonished.
In a determination dated March 19, 2021, and made public today upon completion of statutory notice requirements, the Commission found that Judge Peck should be disciplined for publishing public Facebook posts in which he appeared in a police uniform and expressed his appreciation for law enforcement officers.
Judge Peck, who is not an attorney, has been a Justice of the Gorham Town Court since 2018. His current term expires on December 31, 2021.
Commission Administrator Robert Tembeckjian issued the following statement:
“A judge must be and appear impartial. Identifying himself with the police, publicly and in uniform on Facebook, undermined public confidence in Judge Peck’s impartiality, which to his credit he promptly acknowledged and remedied.”
In the proceedings before the Commission, Judge Peck represented himself.
The Commission was represented by Robert H. Tembeckjian, John J. Postel and David M. Duguay. Senior Investigator Betsy Sampson was assigned to the case.
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