MANHATTAN—James D. Gibbons, a judge for the Manhattan Criminal Court, resigned suddenly Aug. 17 after pornography was found on his courthouse computer.
Gibbons spent 14 years as a prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office before becoming a judge. Mayor Giuliani appointed him to the Brooklyn bench in 2001; he moved to Manhattan Criminal Court in 2003, where he “enjoyed a good reputation on the bench,” the paper said.
As a judge, he had presided over some high-profile cases, including a case invloving Naomi Campbell—who was accused of throwing a cell phone at a maid—and David Tarloff, who was charged with the fatal knifing of a beloved Upper East Side psychiatrist.
According to the NY Post, “Gibbons came on the radar of court officials after rumors began swirling about his socializing during non-work hours with a clique of Legal Aid lawyers—public defenders who represent many of the defendants before him.
“Gibbons, who handles misdemeanor and pre-indicted criminal cases, came under investigation after officials learned he had impregnated a Legal Aid attorney—a possible conflict of interest had she appeared before his bench, multiple sources involved in the investigation told The Post.”
The judge’s computer was seized after the unidentified woman gave birth; officials referred the matter to the District Attorney's office following the discovery of the porn. None of the articles specify how much or what sort of pornography was discovered, or even if a law had been violated.
Court spokesman David Bookstaver declined to tell the NY Daily News whether a criminal investigation was under way, saying only, “"If we become aware of possible criminal activity, we report it to the appropriate law enforcement authority."
Gibbons, who was on maternity leave during the time when his computer was seized and searched, resigned by way of a three-paragraph letter that contained no explanation for his abrupt departure.
"It has been a privilege to serve as a judge of the Criminal Court of the City of New York since my appointment in December 2001," he wrote. "Please accept this letter as a statement of my resignation of that office effective today."
