A longtime New York judge has lost his seat after the state’s highest court upheld findings that he repeatedly used a racial slur while sharing a personal story and later made racially biased remarks to a Black woman appearing before him.
The New York Court of Appeals removed Walter W. Jones, an 82-year-old Canandaigua town justice, from the bench on Oct. 27 after affirming the state Commission on Judicial Conduct’s recommendation.
The commission found that Jones violated the standards of conduct expected of judges, raising concerns about his ability to serve impartially.
The investigation centered on two incidents in May 2024. In the first, Jones repeatedly used a racial slur while recounting a story about a Black man who worked on his grandfather’s farm in Texas during the Great Depression, according to the commission’s findings.
The conversation took place outside the Ontario County jail on May 10, 2024. Two people who heard Jones recount the story — a court clerk and an assistant public defender —testified that he repeatedly referred to the worker using the racial slur followed by the name “Harry.”
Jones acknowledged using the slur during a disciplinary hearing but maintained that he had said it only once while quoting his father, whom he described as racist. He also told the panel that he did not consider himself racist.
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Jones said he intended the story to convey a message about treating others with respect.
“The lesson I was trying to get across was that with tolerance, dignity and respect, we could overcome the differences between us, among us, and become something else,” Jones said during the hearing.
However, the commission questioned why Jones chose to use such language while making a point about respect. According to the commission’s report, neither the court clerk nor the assistant public defender had asked him to recount the story.
The assistant public defender testified that she was “very concerned” and “very surprised” by his language.
Just days later, Jones faced another complaint involving his treatment of a Black defendant in his courtroom.
During the woman’s arraignment on an assault charge, she challenged the amount of bail Jones had set, arguing that her race influenced his decision. She also told the court she could not afford bail and feared that remaining in custody would cause her to miss surgery for an eye injury she sustained during the altercation that led to her arrest. She added that her detention could jeopardize her job as a home health aide.
Jones responded by saying, “Naturally, she played the race card,” according to the commission’s findings.
The woman had expressed frustration with the court’s handling of her case, telling Jones, “This is a racist county…I’m the wrong color to be here.”
The commission treated both incidents as grounds for disciplinary action, ultimately recommending Jones’ removal. He challenged that recommendation, but the Court of Appeals upheld the decision.
In its ruling, the court described the slur as “unquestionably offensive” and pointed to the comments Jones made days later about the Black defendant.
The judges also criticized his failure to recognize how his conduct could affect public trust in the court system.
His “inability to recognize the impact that his statements could have on the public’s confidence in the judiciary’s impartiality and integrity demonstrates his lack of understanding of the need for judges ‘to both be and appear to be impartial,’” the opinion stated.
Jones’ attorney, Levi Stoep, declined to discuss the ruling in detail, saying his client was considering his next steps.
“My client has no comment while we explore our options for federal relief,” Stoep wrote in an email.
Robert H. Tembeckjian, administrator of the Commission on Judicial Conduct, acknowledged that disciplining a member of the judiciary is difficult but said the ruling underscored the importance of accountability.
“It is an unpleasant duty to discipline a judge for unethical behavior,” Tembeckjian said.
He added that the decision “should again reassure the public that both the court and the commission endeavor to uphold the highest standards of conduct among our judiciary.”
Jones was first elected as a Canandaigua town justice in 1999 and served in the part-time position for more than two decades. His most recent four-year term was set to expire on Dec. 31, 2027. He ran unopposed, winning 99% of the vote on the Republican and Conservative party lines.
The Town of Canandaigua is seeking applicants for an interim town justice following Jones’ removal.
