Justice Robert J. Putorti of upstate New York is in hot water after bragging to colleagues about pulling a loaded gun on a “large Black man” in court.
This isn’t the first time that Putorti has had issues with guns in the courtroom. In 2015, he pulled his licensed gun on a defendant, Brandon Wood. Although Wood had made no threatening moves and posed no threat to anyone in the court room, Putorti drew his gun because he felt intimidated.
Putorti went on to brag about the incident on several occasions in 2016 and also in 2018 to his peers during a meeting of the Washington County Magistrates Association; he has described Wood as a “Big back man” and “large Black man”. Not only is this language unprofessional, but it also reveals Putorti’s prejudices. He has also stated that Wood was “built like a football player” and “about 6 feet 9 inches tall”, when in reality Wood is only 6 feet tall and weighs 165 pounds. These comments make it clear that Putorti harbors racist attitudes towards minorities.
Putorti even went to to describe the incident in an interview to his cousin, a journalism student, attending Hofstra University, in which he described his practice of carrying a concealed firearm while presiding on the bench, and he even proudly admitted to brandishing his handgun at someone who got too close for comfort.
He also recounted an incident where he helped his grandfather recover a stolen car by brandishing his gun at the thief. During the interview Putorti described a another instance in April 2015 in which police officers in Virginia observed him carrying a firearm in a convenience store at 3:00 AM. The officers did not take action against him, and Putorti believes the only error on his part was that the handgun may have been visible on his waist to the officers in the store.
The commission also concluded The judge, who is also a member of the Elks Lodge in his spare time violated ethics rules by promoting fundraising events for his organization on Facebook.
Ten of the panel’s 11 members concurred with the decision to remove Putorti from the bench, which he can appeal.
The Commission on Judicial Conduct has recommended that Justice Robert J. Putorti be removed from office, citing his “inappropriate and mishandling of firearms in the courtroom” as well as his “biased views towards minorities”. Putorti can appeal the decision.
It is clear that Justice Robert J. Putorti has no business being on the bench if he cannot act in a professional and unbiased manner. Rather than showing remorse for his actions Putori went on to boast about them, revealing his true character.
This case is a prime display of how white privilege and institutional racism continue to operate in our society. It’s no surprise, that it took this long for an investigation to be conducted, and that Putorti is only facing repercussions now, 7 years after the fact. If he had been a person of color, it’s highly unlikely that he would have received the same treatment.
What do you think should happen to Judge Putorti? Should he be allowed to keep his job, or should he be removed from the bench? Sound off in the comments below!
