TikToking Bergen County Superior Court Judge Suspended

One of New Jersey's top judges has been suspended without pay over his TikTok accounts.

A formal complaint by the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct was filed last year against Bergen County Superior Court Judge Gary N. Wilcox.

The complaint cites Wilcox's 40 since-deleted videos posted under the pseudonym "Sal Tortorella" from April 2021 to March 2023.

The complaint says that Wilcox recorded several TikTok videos in his chambers, including songs that contained profanity, graphic sexual references to female and male body parts, and/or racist terms.

In one video recorded in the chambers, Wilcox, wearing a t-shirt with his face close to the camera, lip-syncs the following lyrics from "Jump" by Rihanna: "If you want it let's do it. Ride it, my pony. My saddle is waitin', come and jump on it. If you want it, let's do it."

In a second video, Wilcox, while in chambers with law books visible behind him and wearing a suit and tie, lip-syncs the following: "All my life, I've been waiting for somebody to whoop my a—. I mean business! You think you can run up on me and whip my monkey ass? Come on. Come on!"

The complaint details many such videos posted by Wilcox, and goes on to say he violated several Canons within the Code of Judicial Conduct.

On Oct. 7. 2024, the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct ordered Wilcox suspended without pay from Tuesday, Oct. 8 to Jan. 8, 2025.