## Facts

- Rosemarie Ruggiero Williams was a New Jersey Superior Court judge.
- Williams previously had a romantic relationship with Alfred Bridges, a courthouse investigator; the relationship ended, and Williams later asserted she was a victim of domestic abuse and suffered battered-woman syndrome.
- On April 14, 2000, Williams confronted Bridges and his companion, Tami DeVitis, at a restaurant; the confrontation was public and emotionally charged, and Williams followed them while yelling.
- Later that day, Williams again confronted Bridges and DeVitis in a saloon parking lot; Bridges went inside and asked the owner to call police.
- Williams drove to the Justice Complex and contacted police; officers spoke with Williams, then interviewed Bridges and DeVitis at the saloon, and left without making an arrest.
- After police left, the saloon received a phone call from a woman stating she was “with the police department” and asking to speak with Bridges; Bridges took the call but hung up upon recognizing Williams’s voice.
- The Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct (ACJC) filed formal charges alleging that the public disputes and the phone call violated the Code of Judicial Conduct and constituted conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.
- The ACJC found violations but was divided on sanction, ranging from censure to suspension to removal.

## Issues

1. Whether Williams’s public confrontations and the telephone call implying association with the police violated Canons 1 and 2A of the Code of Judicial Conduct and Rule 2:15-8(a)(6) as conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings judicial office into disrepute.
2. If violations occurred, what sanction was warranted in light of aggravating and mitigating circumstances, including evidence of battered-woman syndrome and ongoing treatment.

## Decision

- The New Jersey Supreme Court found that Williams violated Canon 1, Canon 2A, and Rule 2:15-8(a)(6).
- The Court concluded that the public incidents, and particularly the call identifying the caller as “with the police department,” harmed public confidence and improperly suggested official backing in a private dispute.
- The Court imposed a three-month suspension without pay, effective August 13, 2001.
- The Court required Williams to continue psychological counseling.
- One justice dissented.

## Legal Principles

- A judge may be disciplined for off-bench conduct when it undermines the integrity of the judiciary or public confidence in the courts.
- Conduct is sanctionable when it is prejudicial to the administration of justice and brings judicial office into disrepute, including misuse or implied misuse of official authority in personal matters.
- A judge violates judicial-ethics duties by misrepresenting or implying an association with law enforcement to influence private parties.
- Psychological or abuse-related evidence may mitigate the sanction and inform remedial conditions (such as counseling) but does not eliminate ethical obligations or preclude a finding of misconduct.
- Sanctions are selected to protect the public and the courts and to preserve confidence in the judiciary, using proportionality that accounts for aggravating and mitigating factors.

## Conclusion

The court disciplined Williams for public, off-duty misconduct and for implying police authority in a personal dispute, holding that such behavior discredited the judiciary; it imposed a three-month unpaid suspension and continued counseling, treating battered-woman syndrome evidence as mitigating but not exculpatory.


In re Williams, 169 N.J. 264 (N.J. 2001)