An upstate New York judge has resigned after saying he could not serve on a jury because he believes all defendants are guilty.
Richard T. Snyder, who served a justice of the Petersburgh Town Court for about a decade, stepped down after being charged with misconduct by a state judicial commission, officials announced Tuesday.
According to court transcripts, Snyder attempted to get out of serving on a jury in October 2023 by first identifying himself as a judge and then saying, “I know everybody come in front of me … are guilty. They would not be in front of me [otherwise].”
He continued to argue that he could not be impartial before he was dismissed from the special grand jury empanelment in Rensselaer County. The judge assigned to the case then reported Snyder’s behavior to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
In a July 2024 ethics hearing about his behavior, Snyder doubled down.
“I meant that they were guilty because they did something wrong. But they’re not guilty ‘til they come to court. They’re innocent ’til proven guilty,” he told the commission. “They did something wrong. That’s why they got a ticket. But they’re not guilty.”
Snyder, who’s not an attorney, ultimately agreed to never serve as a judge again.
“There is no place on the bench for someone who so deeply misunderstands the role of a judge and the administration of justice,” said Robert H. Tembeckjian, administrator of the judicial commission.
“It is bad enough that a judge would seek to avoid such a fundamental civic responsibility as jury service. It is astounding that the judge would claim an inability to be impartial, and to declare under oath that the accused must be guilty or they would not be in court,” Tembeckjian added.
Petersburgh is a small town near Albany, near the state’s borders with Vermont and Massachusetts.