A New York Judge, suspended after posting a string of explicit and racist TikTok videos, claims he didn't realize his offbeat performances—filmed in his chambers and in bed—would be seen by the public.
Superior Court Judge Gary N. Wilcox was suspended by the New Jersey Supreme Court for three months without pay after he posted as many as 40 TikTok videos, many of which included explicit language or inappropriate conduct, reported the New Jersey Globe.
Wilcox reportedly made public TikTok videos under the pseudonym "Sal Tortorella" while in his judicial robe in his court chambers or partially undressed in his bed, most of which contained profanity, graphic sexual references to female and male body parts, violence, misogyny, and racist terms.
In an August filing, the judge stated that he didn't realize they would be available to the public and claimed many were "taken out of context."
Wilcox's attorney, Gary Wille, argued, "He did not endorse any of the artists, their lifestyle, or their views," adding:
"He never intended to bring the judiciary into disrepute. Indeed, none of the postings were directed at anyone or had anything to do with any case or party before him. They were not made while performing judicial duties."
The said videos were posted between April 11, 2021, and March 4, 2023.
In one of the posts recorded in his chamber, the 59-year-old is seen in a T-shirt with his face close to the camera, lip-syncing lyrics from 'Jump by Rihanna.'
Another showed Wilcox wearing a "Beavis and Butthead" t-shirt while walking through the Bergen County courthouse with 'Get Down by Nas' playing, according to a formal complaint brought by the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct.
"By his conduct in posting these and similar videos to TikTok, Wilcox exhibited poor judgment and demonstrated disrespect for the Judiciary and an inability to conform to the high standards of conduct expected of judges," the complaint read.
Wilcox will be eligible to return in January 2025.
