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SCHOHARIE The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct announced Wednesday that City Judge Kenneth C. Knutsen has resigned amid a commission investigation into allegations he posted anti-LGBTQ messages on Facebook “and other misconduct”.
“The Commission informed Justice Knutsen in April 2021 that it was investigating complaints alleging bias and anti-LGBTQ content on his personal Facebook page,” read a press release from the commission. “His Facebook page also revealed many other posts containing: partisan political content; expressions of bias in favor of the police and against the accused; expressions of anti-Muslim prejudices; and banned public comment on current affairs, including the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Facebook posts no longer appear publicly visible.
Knutsen is not a lawyer and has been both an elected judge of the Schoharie municipal court and an elected associate judge of the Schoharie village court since 2002. None of these positions require a law degree. His current terms would have expired on December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 respectively.
According to the commission’s press release, Knutsen was originally scheduled to testify regarding the allegations regarding his use of social media on May 26.
“Instead, on that date he tendered his resignation, effective July 1, 2021, agreed to never seek or accept judicial office at any time in the future and signed a stipulation to that effect.” , we read in the press release of the commission. “On June 10, 2021, the Commission accepted the stipulation and closed its investigation. “
This is not the first time that the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct has agreed to drop investigations in exchange for an elected judge agreeing to step down and never run again. According to its press release, the commission has accepted 106 of these stipulations since the procedure was instituted in 2003.
“Since 1978, the Commission has issued 278 warning decisions against New York State judges, 339 censure decisions and 175 dismissal decisions,” the statement read. “The [New York state] The Court of Appeal reviewed 101 decisions of the Commission. The Court accepted the Commission’s sanctions in 85 cases, of which 76 were referrals, six were reprimands and three were admonitions. Of the 16 remaining cases, two penalties were increased from censorship to revocation, and 13 were reduced: nine revocation decisions were modified in censorship, one revocation was changed to a warning, two censures were changed to a warning, and a censure was dismissed and the charges dismissed. The Court referred a case back to the commission for further processing.
At the Knutsen Judicial Conduct hearings he was represented by Attorney John R. Seebold and the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct was represented by Robert H. Tembeckjian, Cathleen S. Cenci and Kathleen E Klein. Senior investigator Ryan Fitzpatrick has been assigned to the case. Public confidence in the integrity of the courts requires judges to avoid even the appearance of bias, ”Commission administrator Robert H. Tembeckjian said in the statement. “Social media posts that present anti-LGBTQ, anti-Muslim, pro-police or other prejudices are odious and hostile to the role of a judge. In these circumstances, the departure of Judge Knutsens from his duties is justified.
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Categories: Fulton Montgomery Schoharie, News
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