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NJ judge's 'whoop my a--' video and other TikToks broke ethics rules, complaint says
By
Louis C. Hochman
Published Jul 4, 2023
Modified Jul 4, 2023
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By
Louis C. Hochman
Published Jul 4, 2023
Modified Jul 4, 2023
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The New Jersey court system alleges a judge broke ethics rules when he, in a suit and tie, in his chambers with law books lining his shelves, stared into a camera and lip-synced the words: "All my life, I've been waiting for somebody to whoop my ass.”
That’s how an ethics complaint by the state Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct describes one of 11 TikTok videos by Bergen County Superior Court Judge Gary N. Wilcox that it says “were inappropriate and brought disrepute to the judiciary.”
Between April 2021 and March of this year, Wilcox posted 40 public videos to TikTok under the alias “Sal Tortorella,” according to the complaint, filed Monday. The complaint takes issue with 11 videos it says were inappropriate, either because of their content (with references to “violence, sex, and misogyny”), because of Wilcox’s appearance (wearing his judicial robes or partially dressed while in bed) or because of his location (in his chambers, or in the courthouse).
“[Wilcox] recorded several TikTok videos in his chambers, including songs which contained profanity, graphic sexual references to female and male body parts, and/or racist terms,” the complaint states.
It describes one video in Wilcox’s chambers, in which he’s wearing a T-shirt and lip-syncing to “Jump” by Rhianna: "If you want it let's do it. Ride it, my pony. My saddle is waitin', come and jump on it. If you want it, let's do it."
In the “whoop my ass” video, Wilcox lip-syncs “I mean business! You think you can run up on me and whip my monkey ass? Come on. Come on,” according to the complaint.
One video shows him wearing a "Beavis and Butt-Head" T-shirt, walking through the courthouse, while Nas’ “Get Down” plays. The complaint describes the song as containing “explicit lyrics concerning a criminal case and a courtroom shooting.”
“By his conduct in posting these and similar videos to TikTok, Respondent 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 states.
Wilcox’s attorney, Robert Hille, returned a message Tuesday by text, saying he had limited availability to respond because of the July 4 holiday and citing statements he'd made to the New York Times. He told the Times he’d be filing a response, and said many of the videos included music by mainstream performers that elicit “a different response depending on who is listening.”
“I don’t think that at the end of the day anybody is going to believe there was any desire to do any harm here,” Hille told the Times. said. “Hindsight is 20-20.”
Under state court ethics rules, the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct would file a hearing after receiving Wilcox’s formal response. It could pursue any of several times of discipline — from privately issued guidance to a recommendation that the state Supreme Court remove Wilcox from the bench.
This story has been updated to include a response from attorney Robert Hille.
Tagged
public safety
new jersey
Louis C. Hochman
After about two decades in (mostly) New Jersey-focused commercial print, digital and digital-but-radio-adjacent news, Lou stumbled into member-supported news in early 2021, as the editor and CEO of Montclair Local. There, he (hopes he) expanded enterprise, brought more sophistication to digital storytelling and moved the nonprofit newsroom closer to long-term financial sustainability. He helped lead the Local to its fourth consecutive General Excellence award from the New Jersey Press Association — the NJPA's highest honor with judges noting the paper's work to strip away layers of government opacity, to hold power to account, to make news accessible for more members of the community, to share the stories and concerns of more facets of the community and to tell compelling stories across multiple media. He's excited to continue the same ethic — news as a public service — at NYPR as the New Jersey and suburbs editor, drawing on the extraordinary talents of reporters including Karen Yi and Nancy Solomon. Lou lives in Philly (that commute!) with his partner and their two cats, about whom and about which he speaks incessantly.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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