Judicial News

Judge F. Michael Giles slapped with ACJC complaint alleging he cursed out a defense lawyer in open court

Judge F. Michael Giles was slapped with a disciplinary complaint by the New Jersey Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct on January 29, 2008. In her complaint, disciplinary counsel Candace Moody alleged that Essex County Judge F. Michael Giles scolded defense lawyer Sebastian Bio with the following expletive-laden tirade: “Get the...[expletive]... out of my courtroom; What the... [expletive]... don’t you understand?; Shut the... [expletive]... up and get the...[expletive]...out of here, I have a meeting this afternoon.”

Judge F. Michael Giles shall be given the opportunity to respond and request a trial before the ACJC. The ACJC shall decide whether any of the violations were committed by Judge F. Michael Giles. If the ACJC finds Judge F. Michael Giles guilty of any one of the violations of the Canons of the Code of Judicial Conduct, it shall recommend Judge F. Michael Giles be punished.  The New Jersey Supreme Court has the final say concerning how much punishment, if any, shall be meted out to Essex County Judge F. Michael Giles.

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Judge Vincent Grasso gives N.J. voters a "do-over"

It's official. New Jersey voters can now vote twice in the same election.

A Superior Court judge ruled yesterday absentee voters in Tuesday's primary election are entitled to a do-over if their candidate has dropped out of the presidential race.

 The decision by Superior Court Assignment Judge Vincent Grasso in Ocean County followed a groundswell of complaints from voters who had cast absentee ballots for Rudy Giuliani or John Edwards, only to have the two candidates withdraw from their parties' races this week.

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Judge Hilton Fuller resigns from Nichols death penalty case

They may disagree about whether he should have stepped down, but to those who know him, Superior Court Judge Hilton Fuller is a class act and a top-notch jurist.

Fuller resigned Wednesday from the death penalty case of Fulton County courthouse shooting suspect Brian Nichols one day after a national magazine published an article quoting the judge as saying "everyone in the world knows he did it."

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Judge Donald Cole Byrd orders Sheriff's deputies to hit the streets to round-up people to serve on a jury

WILLOWS -- Glenn County Superior Court Judge Donald Cole Byrd made an unusual ruling Monday when he asked deputies to go into the community and find jurors for a civil trial.

Janelle Bartlett, assistant court executive officer, said 100 summonses recently went out by mail notifying Glenn County citizens they'd been called to report for jury duty.

Bartlett said there were so many people who simply didn't show up, and so many challenges by attorneys in the jury selection process, that additional panelists had to be found.

Civil trials can proceed with fewer than 12 -- the required number for a criminal trial -- but Bartlett said attorneys in this case wanted a dozen jurors.

She said deputies found 12 people willing and able to appear at the courthouse Tuesday, and said she believed a jury had been seated by the end of the day.

Most of those selected Tuesday were alternates, she said.

"This is a pretty unusual circumstance," Bartlett said.

She said those people who ignored the summons for jury duty may face fines, and can be compelled to appear before a judge. She said paying a fine doesn't get a qualified citizen out of jury duty.

In Glenn County, potential jurors must be American citizens, reside in the county, speak English well enough to participate in a trial, and not be a convicted felon.

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