ALBANY, NY – Richard T. Snyder, a judge from upstate New York, resigned from his position in the legal system because his personal belief is that everyone brought before the court is guilty, making it impossible for him to remain impartial, according to an Associated Press news report.
Snyder was charged with misconduct by a state judicial commission, leading to his departure from his position after serving nearly a decade as a justice in the Petersburgh Town Court, said the AP.
At a judicial commission hearing, Snyder acknowledged that accused persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty, but expressed his belief that people wouldn’t be in court unless they had committed crimes.
The AP notes a quote from Snyder to the commission stating, “I meant that they were guilty because they did something wrong. But they’re not guilty ‘til they come to court. They’re innocent ’til proven guilty,”
The judge overseeing jury selection reported Snyder to state authorities after he attempted to avoid jury duty in 2023 by, according to court transcripts, he said, as a judge, he knew everyone who appeared before him was guilty because they wouldn’t be in the courtroom otherwise, wrote the AP.
According to the report, Snyder did end up getting dismissed from jury duty, after he persisted in arguing he could not be neutral.
The AP report included a statement by Robert H. Tembeckjian, administrator of the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, stating, “It is bad enough that a judge would seek to avoid such a fundamental civic responsibility as jury service. It is astounding that the judge would claim an inability to be impartial, and to declare under oath that the accused must be guilty or they would not be in court.”
Ultimately, Snyder has agreed never to serve as a judge again, wrote the AP.
