Judge Robert Merino of Niagara Falls, NY; ethical gremlin 

The state of New York presented Robert P. Merino with a law license in 1973 after he graduated from Cleveland State University Law School.

The New York Judicial Commission found Judge Merino guilty of the following misconduct.

In one matter, Judge Merino presided over a summary eviction proceeding involving a landlord and a Spanish speaking native of Puerto Rico.

Despite the fact that it was patently clear to Merino that the tenant was unable to adequately communicate in English, he refused to have an interpreter appear at the eviction hearing.

Despite said knowledge, Judge Merino moved forward without an interpreter and then issued a warrant for the family’s eviction.

Additionally, Merino knew that access to interpreting services when required as it was in the case, has been lawfully determined to be a “critical element of access to justice.”

In truth, Merino knowingly and cheerfully trampled on the tenant’s due process rights. Apparently, Merino is of the opinion that “due process” is the means by which the grass becomes moist in the a.m.

As a consequence of his misconduct, the enablers for Judicial Misfits sitting on the New York Judicial Commission punished Bobby by gifting him with a complimentary admonishment.

As we speak (ca. April 2015), Bobby continues to sit as a Niagara Falls City Court judge in Niagara Falls, New York.