Judge Replaced After Shirtless Brawl Over Parking Spot

Mark Grisanti, a judge in the New York Court of Claims, won’t be reappointed to a second term this week after a heated confrontation with Buffalo police officers in 2020. Grisanti and his wife were fighting with their neighbor over street parking when the police were called. Bodycam footage shows the shirtless judge shoving an officer. He was arrested but never faced any charges over the incident.

D.A. explains why judge Grisanti was not charged

The police interaction escalated after Grisanti’s wife didn’t comply with an order to stop yelling and was handcuffed. The judge confronted them and said, “You better get the fuck off my wife.” Erie County District Attorney John Flynn explained to WGRZ that the officers decided not to file charges. While they didn’t know the man they arrested was judged, Flynn stated the officer later learned his identity.

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The DA personally didn’t think Grisanti’s actions were criminal. He added, “This was quite frankly nothing more than four 50-year-olds and 60-year-olds acting like children.” Despite how the officers’ decision, New York’s Commission on Judicial Conduct recommended that Grisanti be censured in April 2024 because of the incident. Terry Connors, Grisanti’s attorney, Spectrum News 1:

“Judge Grisanti has not received formal notification regarding his reappointment. But judges and lawyers who know his work best have reached out to express support. Even the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, after a thorough investigation, concluded that two hours of misconduct did not warrant his removal from the bench. Every objective metric supports his retention.”

It wouldn’t be ridiculous to assume that the bodycam footage is the only reason Grisanti is being replaced. His connections with local law enforcement got the charges dropped. If the footage didn’t exist, this could all have been swept under the rug.