A New York judge who was caught on camera shoving a police officer and brawling with neighbors during a shirtless meltdown over a parking spot will soon be replaced on the bench.
Judge Mark Grisanti, an acting state Supreme Court justice in Buffalo, was not on the list of the 25 judicial nominees Gov. Kathy Hochul sent to the state Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration on Wednesday.
Grisanti was also not reappointed to his seat, a spokesman for commission chair Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal said.
Judge Mark Grisanti, an acting state Supreme Court justice in Buffalo, has been serving as a “holdover” since his term on the Court of Claims expired last year, essentially waiting to be reappointed. APGrisanti has been an acting state Supreme Court justice in the court’s 8th District since 2018 and will remain in his position until a new judge begins his term.
The 59-year-old jurist has been a “holdover” on the court since his term expired last July, as he waits for his replacement.
The Buffalo Police Department was called to Grisanti’s home on June 23, 2020, after the judge, his wife and their neighbors were embroiled in an argument about parking.
Grisanti believed his neighbors Joseph Mele, 69, and Gina Mele, 57, were encroaching on his driveway in Buffalo, which led to the heated confrontation that turned physical between both families.
Grisanti’s wife, Maria, was handcuffed and taken to the ground as the shirtless judge allegedly threatened the responding officers.
A shirtless Grisanti shoves a cop during a 2020 altercation. Buffalo Police Department“You better get off my f–king wife,” Grisanti said as he shoved an officer.
Grisanti told the officers that he was friends with Mayor Byron Brown, had relatives on the police force and that they’d be sorry if they didn’t release his wife.
“You arrest my f—ing wife … you’re going to be sorry,” he said.
Grisanti was later handcuffed and placed in the back of a squad car.
He eventually apologized for pushing the cop before he was taken away.
Grisanti reportedly had lost family members around the time of the incident, which contributed to his viral meltdown, CJC court documents filed by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct alleged.
New York’s Commission on Judicial Conduct voted in April to censure Grisanti. Buffalo Police DepartmentThe Erie County District Attorney’s Office didn’t file any charges against Grisanti after weeks of review.
Police Capt. Jeff Rinaldo told the station the officers decided not to charge Grisanti because he “didn’t tackle anyone, he didn’t punch him — he gave him, like, a shoulder shove.”
In April, the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct voted to censure Grismanti for his “especially poor judgment.”
Grisanti’s wife, Maria, was handcuffed and taken to the ground as she resisted arrest. Buffalo Police DepartmentThe commission voted 6-4 in favor of the censure but narrowly declined the administrator’s recommendation that he be removed from office.
The commission also faulted Grisanti for participating in legal cases involving an attorney who had made payments to him as part of a business deal.
Grisanti was elected to the New York state Senate in 2010, re-elected in 2012, and was tasked with representing areas throughout western New York.
Grisanti’s expletive-filled confrontation with police followed a dispute with neighbors over parking. Buffalo Police DepartmentGrisanti’s attorney Terrence Connors backed his client, calling him an exemplary judge.
“Lawyers and judges who best know his work want him to continue on the bench,” Connors said. “Even the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, after a thorough investigation, confirmed that, on balance, two hours of misconduct do not warrant removal from his position on the court.”
With Post wires
