September 5, 2018 will be a monumental day for Rochester City Court Judge Laticia Astacio. Today, she pleads her case to New York's highest court in an effort to save her job, and the salary of almost $200,000 per year that she has been paid -- without working a day -- in almost two years.
The infamous Judge has 12 minutes to convince the jurists on the NYS Court of Appeals that she should not lose her title, and salary. It will be watched closely by many who have endured this long courtroom drama for far too long.
The specifics of her case are below, just after you watch her now famous parody video that was produced this summer. I'm wondering if the Court of Appeals Judges will view this before they render a verdict in the near future.....
Our favorite upstate NY Judge has certainly had more than her 15 minutes of fame, but it now has been extended by at least two minutes and fifty seconds.
If you're not familiar with Judge Laticia Astacio, a quick background about the Rochester City Court Judge. She was arrested on a cold February morning in 2016 for driving while intoxicated. She was sitting along the side of Interstate 490 in her car with a flat tire and a dented front grill on her Hyundai . At the time she was driving to court for Saturday morning arraignments. The Judge was arrested at the scene after becoming verbally abusive with a hard working New York State Trooper.
After later being convicted in a trial by a fellow judge on a misdeameanor charge of Driving While Intoxicated, Judge Astacio received a "conditional discharge". She continued to serve on the City Court while earning her salary, which has been increased since the arrest to $187,200 a year.
After her now infamous arrest, the Judge has been in much trouble. Just google her name and you can recount the trail that has led Judge Astacio to the Commission on Judicial Conduct, who suspended her and recommended her removal from office.
"Nobody ------ including a judge ------ is above the law", commission Chairman Joseph Belluck said when the ruling was announced.
The case is still weaving it's way through the process with a decision expected in the near future.
For now, it appears the jurist who has spawned her own hashtag (#drunkjudge) may be working on a new career, as she (or a really good impersonator) stars in a new music video you can watch below. It was posted to youtube August 8 by Todd Page.
Titled "Stalking Judge Laticia Astacio- Crazy In Love...with The Judge", it is a parody of a Beyonce video.
Full disclosure: my uncle Robert P. Kennedy was a New York Supreme Court Justice, and I can honestly say that he would be less than enthused that a person in such a high position in society would be put in such a public undertaking.
To each, his or her own. We all make our own decisions. The gavel will soon sound again for Judge Astacio for possibly the final time. At least for this time....