Trenton, NJ – The state Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct filed a formal complaint Tuesday against a state Superior Court judge who allegedly made a joking reference to a 1930s-era Nazi organization during a trial this spring.
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Superior Court Judge William Wertheimer, who hears civil cases in Union County, in April was presiding over a jury trial at which the plaintiff’s lawyer, William Gold, advised he needed to leave by 4 p.m. because it was the first night of Passover and he planned to attend a Seder, according to the complaint.
With the jury present but in a sidebar with lawyers, Wertheimer reportedly asked the attorneys if he should tell jurors the trial would conclude for the day so one or both lawyers could attend a “Bund meeting” — a reference to a 1930s anti-Semitic group in America that promoted Adolf Hitler’s regime.
The next day, Wertheimer apologized to Gold but claimed he was directing the reference to the defendant’s lawyer, Michael Bubb, according to the complaint.
“While I strongly disagree with the conclusions of this complaint, I respect the process and will respond in an appropriate, transparent and timely manner,” Wertheimer said yesterday. “I trust eventually all will be accurately revealed.”
Gold said he had “absolutely no comment.”
The German-American Bund, which organized demonstrations in support of the Nazi regime, ran three camps in New Jersey in the 1930s, near Andover, Bloomingdale and Griggstown, according to a 1991 book by the New Jersey Historical Commission. Bund members clashed frequently with the American Legion and Jewish war veterans.
The ethics committee contends Wertheimer violated four aspects of the judicial code of conduct, by creating the appearance of an ethnic and religious bias and not acting in a manner that promotes confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the courts.
The ethics committee in 2007 issued a letter of caution to Wertheimer for telling an assistant prosecutor of Nigerian descent — who he later told was a “crappy attorney” — that most Nigerians who come through the court are in handcuffs and for advising a prosecutor following a hung jury that he felt the state would have had a good shot at a guilty verdict if she hadn’t selected for the jury two “lower class blacks” who usually have problems with transit police.
Wertheimer, 67, lives in Westfield. A member of the New Jersey bar since 1970, he has been a judge since 1984 — at times handling criminal trials, at times civil trials, plus a stint as an appellate judge in 1997. He is tenured and would reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 in 2012.
Formal complaints are filed once the committee finds there is probable cause that public discipline will be imposed. Wertheimer now has the opportunity to file a formal answer to the complaint.
time for this judhe to retire or be forcefully set out to pasture.
Now some Jewish defendants, who were tried in his court, might get some answers on why he ruled their case in a certain way.
The Telzer Yeshiva in Riverdale was originally in Westfield. They had to relocate because of problems with the neighbors. I wouldn’t be surprised if Superior Court Judge William Wertheimer had something to do with this.
there should be an investigation, and maybe his pension taken away
I had a young woman interview with me, but states all the days she needed to leave ealry, on a weekly basis, and all the holdiays she would need off. Why do you get to stop the working world weekly with holidays and early dismissmals. It is not fair and a waist of the Jurys time becuase one person had to go to ceder and everyone else had to be at their disposal. While the judges comments were unwarranted, the lawyer should be be dispared for interfering with court matters.
Another example of how those who are prejudiced against blacks also are prejudiced against jews. This man should be removed from the bench.
He made a joke big deal. I’m not convinced he is an Anti-Semite
Wertheimer??? sounds like a jewish name (maybe german? whoe knows)
Are we aware that “Bund” refers to lots of things in the German language, including Union? The article does not seem to give any evidence at all that the reference was indeed to the German-American Bund, rather than to, say, the Algemeyner Yidisher Arbeter Bund in Lite, Poyln un Rusland. If that is the Bund referred to the comment makes sense, though it is still probably a bit insensitive. If Wertheimer would know that Gold’s Pesach seder would be politically rather “leftwing”, or would include at least one Bundist or a Bund researcher, I would even consider it a rather good pun.
By the end of the article it is clear that this guy should not be a judge if he has no problem throwing around racist comments to lawyers and others in a court room. He can not be a fair judge if he considers Nigerians as criminals or “crappy lower class blacks.” It is scary to have a freak like this judge your life away. I will send this article to NAACP and Al Sharpton’s office maybe Al will give him a headache.
people in power will always fail one way or the other as
the Torah says, Asher Nasi
Yecheteh, because he is the prince he will sin. For all other categories of people who sin and need to bring a korban the Torah
Says “if” but for a prince he will for sure sin. A judge has a lot of power and his lofty position has got to his head but all arrogant people fall and so goes this
Anti Semitic , Anti Black judge