Judge Mark Grisanti of Buffalo, New York has been serving as an acting State Supreme Court justice since his term on the Court of Claims expired last year. Despite being censured by the New York Commission on Judicial Conduct for shoving a police officer during a brawl with neighbors and being involved in legal cases with an attorney who had made payments to him, Grisanti had been waiting to be reappointed. However, his name did not appear on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s list of 25 judicial nominees considered by the state Senate’s Judiciary Committee, indicating he will be replaced on the bench.
While Grisanti’s attorney, Terrence Connors, stated that the judge had been an exemplary judge, the Commission on Judicial Conduct found that Grisanti displayed “especially poor judgment” for his actions in June 2020. The commission decided to censure Grisanti but narrowly declined to remove him from office. Despite support from lawyers and judges who knew his work, Grisanti’s involvement in the altercation with police officers and in legal cases involving an attorney who had made payments to him ultimately led to his replacement on the bench.
In the video of the incident with police officers, Grisanti is seen confronting the officers with expletives, mentioning his connections to the mayor and relatives on the police force. The altercation stemmed from a dispute with neighbors over parking, and it escalated to the point where Grisanti shoved a police officer who was attempting to handcuff his wife. Despite his threats to the officer, Grisanti himself was handcuffed and placed in a police car, but he was not charged with a crime. This incident, as well as his involvement in legal cases with a paying attorney, contributed to the decision not to reappoint him as a judge.
Grisanti’s term as an acting State Supreme Court justice will continue until a new judge is appointed to take his place. The decision not to reappoint him was made by the state Senate’s Judiciary Committee after his name did not appear on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s list of judicial nominees. While Grisanti had not received formal notice of his replacement at the time of the decision, it is clear that he will no longer be serving on the bench due to the censure he received for his actions and involvement in legal cases with a paying attorney.
Despite the controversy surrounding his behavior in the altercation with police officers and legal cases involving a paying attorney, Grisanti’s attorney emphasized that those who knew his work as a judge wanted him to continue serving on the bench. However, the decision not to reappoint him ultimately reflects the concerns raised by the Commission on Judicial Conduct regarding his conduct and judgment. Grisanti’s replacement on the bench marks the end of his term as acting State Supreme Court justice, following a career that began when he was first appointed to the court in 2015.
