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The state Supreme Court suspended Municipal Court Judge Steven Brister for the month without pay for the way he told the man to consider women.
“We get frustrated with the women human beings. Because we try to straighten out a creation ‘cause they was created with a curve," said Brister, a defense attorney who works as a part-time judge in East Orange and Newark, during a 2019 case.
The judge later explained he was referring to the creationist tale of God created Eve from Adam's rib.
“No matter how much you try, or how you try to straighten out that curve. You can never do it," the judge reportedly told the defendant. "We get frustrated and then but, in our frustration, you can’t come at them like you Mike Tyson and they’re in the ring like they’re Leon Spinks. You can’t do it.
"You can't punch, you can't hit. At best, you treat as if you're holding a feather, just to let them know you're the man and you're in control."
The Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct found the comments "sexist, misogynistic, discourteous" and "undignified" and said that Brister's reference to religion was "inappropriate and wholly misplaced in a court of law."
Although unacceptable, the committee agreed that his comments were intended to prevent the defendant from ever assaulting women again.
For his part, Brister admitted his comments were “well-meaning but undeniably misguided” and "a poor choice of words." He also told the committee that he's been taking courses aimed at bettering himself.
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