Brooklyn judge admonished after using status to fight trash fines

A New York judicial ethics board has admonished Brooklyn judge Katherine Levine for attempting to use her professional status to dodge 150 dollars in sanitation fines. The New York Post reported that the state Commission on Judicial Conduct issued its findings in a release on Monday. The panel found that Levine spent nearly two years trying to avoid hearings and fines. [1]

Levine spent 20 months fighting three minor trash violations with the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings of New York City, according to the New York Post. During her dispute with the agency, she told officials that she had trials every day to avoid attending hearings. [1]

The Commission on Judicial Conduct determined that the judge repeatedly mentioned her position without necessity. The panel wrote in its findings that these actions created the appearance that Levine was inappropriately seeking special treatment because of her judicial office. [1]