| ► Judge James McLeod of Buffalo, NY; unethical loser |
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Judge James McLeod of Buffalo, NY; unethical loser
The state of New York provided Judge McLeod with a law license in 1975 after he graduated from Buffalo University Law School.
In 1999, McLeod succeeded in duping the voters in Buffalo into electing him as a judge of the Buffalo City Court.
The New York Judicial Commission found Judge McLeod guilty of the following misconduct.
On Feb 17, 2011, Judge McLeod presided over the custodial arraignment portion of the Buffalo City Court. Two of the cases on that day involved a defendant who was 17-years-old at the time. In one case, the defendant was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance and Obstructing Governmental Administration. The other case, the defendant was charged with Trespass and Harassment.
Before any plea discussion, Judge McLeod characterized the harassment charge as “thuggery” and asked the defendant if he knew what it meant. When he said no, McLeod said, “It means a bully, trying to impress people…That’s not good, especially when they say you can’t follow through with any of those wolf cries. If they were to gang up on you; you would be the first one yelling Mama as you’re running home.”
While addressing the Trespass charge, Judge McLeod asked the defendant “What’s going on with you over there Mr. Tough guy?” After he replied that he didn’t recall, McLeod said, “Don’t play me.” Without allowing the defendant to enter any plea, McLeod illegally convicted him of Trespass and sentenced him to 75 hours of community service.
When addressing the Disorderly Conduct charge, Judge McLeod told the defendant that the police had seen him throw away some drugs. When the defendant denied he did so, McLeod said, “Don’t play me like I’m stupid, you’re not bright enough to outsmart me. You want to try it again?” Again, McLeod didn’t allow the defendant to enter a plea; however, he then illegally convicted him of Disorderly Conduct and sentenced him to 15 days in jail, the maximum sentence for such charge.
As a consequence of his misconduct, the apologists for Judicial Misfits sitting on the Judicial Commission punished Judge McLeod by gifting him with a complimentary admonishment.
As we speak (ca. January 2013) Judge McLeod remains sitting on the Buffalo City Court.
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