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Superior Court Judge Douglas Hurd could be disciplined by the state Supreme Court if the justices support a complaint filed earlier this week by the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct.
The unidentified secretary had moved out of state in late 2021 but was exempted from New Jersey's residency requirement, the committee noted.
Hurd, in turn, knowingly violated state judiciary policy -- claiming that he believed it was his discretion -- by allowing her to work remotely for six months in 2022, the complaint says.
Hurd, who is the presiding Mercer County civil court judge in Trenton, could be admonished, reprimanded or censured by the state Supreme Court at the very least.
More severe punishment would be suspension or removal from the bench, neither of which appears likely.
State codes require that judges in New Jersey:
- preserve the integrity of the courts by maintaining high standards of conduct;
- avoid even the appearance of impropriety;
- don't use the "prestige" of their office to "advance the private interest of others.”
Gov. Jon Corzine nominated Hurd to the bench in 2009. The judge was tenured in 2016 and can serve until he reaches mandatory retirement age (70) in 2039.
The Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct rejected the option of disciplining Hurd privately and chose to go public instead.
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