NY judge took vacations with lawyers was in text thread filled with ‘off-color jokes,’ ‘sexually explicit images’: officials

A New York judge’s Caribbean vacations with a group of attorneys and involvement in a text message chain featuring “off-color jokes” and “sexually graphic images” led to her hasty retirement, according to court officials.

Rockland County Supreme Court Justice Sherri Eisenpress agreed to step down on April 28 due to multiple alleged conflicts of interest, the state Commission of Judicial Conduct revealed on Monday.

The commission stated that Eisenpress failed to disclose her close personal relationships with the group of attorneys, even as she presided over their cases in her courtroom, violating the requirement that judges must be impartial.

Between 2019 and 2024, Eisenpress heard cases involving a group of attorneys with whom she traveled to the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the Jersey Shore at various times. They were also part of a text chain with names like “Punta Cana Parties,” “Bougie B*tches,” and “Queen Dara and Her Loyal Subjects,” in reference to the court’s principal attorney.

The commission outlined misconduct allegations, stating that Eisenpress and the members of the group text chain shared confidences, discussed social and travel plans, exchanged gossip, photos, off-color jokes, and sexually graphic images.

In response to the allegations, Eisenpress argued that there were very few jokes or images that could be considered off-color and claimed that she had only friendly or collegial relationships with the lawyers in question.

However, the alleged conflicts did not end there. Eisenpress was accused of presiding over 41 cases involving the law firm of her principal law clerk’s spouse without acknowledging the ties or limiting the clerk’s work on those cases. She also handled a matrimonial case where one of the lawyers was co-hosting a fundraiser for her election campaign, only recusing herself after being called out by opposing counsel.

In 2024, Eisenpress reportedly refused to immediately recuse herself from a case where her law clerk’s husband represented one of the parties. She later stepped aside for unrelated reasons.

Commission Administrator Robert Tembeckjian described the allegations against Eisenpress as serious and deemed her permanent departure from office as appropriate.

In her resignation letter to Chief Administrative Judge Joseph Zayas, Eisenpress expressed gratitude for her time on the bench and highlighted her commitment to expanding access to justice and strengthening public trust in the court.

Through her lawyer, Eisenpress stated that serving as a judge was the greatest honor of her professional life and expressed disagreement with many aspects of the Commission’s position on the matter. Despite this, she decided to step aside to avoid subjecting litigants, herself, the court system, and her colleagues to a prolonged and financially draining proceeding. She noted that she detailed her defense in her response to the commission. The field of artificial intelligence (AI) has experienced exponential growth in recent years, with advancements in machine learning, natural language processing, and robotics pushing the boundaries of what is possible. As AI continues to evolve, its impact on various industries and sectors is becoming more pronounced.

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