‘Whoop my a–‘: Judge who posted TikTok videos from chambers, courthouse faces the music

The New Jersey Superior Court judge who posted dozens of TikTok videos, including some from chambers and courthouse hallways, was suspended from the bench for three months by the Garden State‘s top court Monday.

Judge Gary Wilcox, 59, was appointed by then-Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, to family court in 2011 and was reassigned to the criminal division in 2016. Wilcox faced a formal complaint by the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct for posting 40 since-deleted videos, some of which contained profane language, on a public TikTok account between April 2021 and March 2023 under the pseudonym “Sal Tortorella.”

Wilcox was accused of bringing disrepute to the judiciary with videos that contained violent, sexual, or misogynistic content, or that showed Wilcox around the courthouse. One video referenced in the complaint showed Wilcox partially dressed in judicial robes while lying on a bed.

Another allegation included the posting of a video in which the judge appears in chambers flanked by law books lip-synching “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 a–? Come on. Come on!”

A third video allegedly showed Wilcox wearing a “Beavis and Butt-Head” T-shirt while walking through the Bergen County Courthouse as explicit court-related lyrics from “Get Down” by Nas played in the background.

The complaint referenced another problematic video in which Wilcox sat in a car wearing a “Freedom of Speech” T-shirt and lip-synching, “Go ahead baby. You hittin’ them corners too god damn fast. You gotta slow this mothaf—– down. You understand? I almost spilled my [cognac] on this 200-dollar suit.”

Another video allegedly flashed screen text while Wilcox smiled at the camera, while sexually explicit lyrics from the Busta Rhymes song “Touch It” could be heard.

The complaint also noted that Wilcox thanked his fans with a post of “100 followers! Thanks so much!!” followed by three smiling face emoji.

The committee argued that Wilcox’s videos undermined public confidence in the judiciary and exhibited poor judgment.

Although Wilcox initially asked that he not receive any formal discipline, the Supreme Court of New Jersey said in its order that the judge and the disciplinary panel consented to a stipulation of discipline in which it was agreed that Wilcox violated several canons of judicial ethics. Specifically, ordered Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, Wilcox violated rules that require judges to “observe high standards of conduct,” “avoid impropriety,” and “conduct their extrajudicial activities in a manner that would not cast reasonable doubt on the judge’s capacity to act impartially as a judge, demean the judicial office, or interfere with the proper performance of judicial duties.” Wilcox also agreed to a three-month suspension from the bench without pay, from Oct. 8, 2024 to Jan. 8, 2025.

An attorney for Wilcox declined to comment to Law&Crime and instead deferred to the court.

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