A lenient Bronx judge is reportedly being taken off criminal cases amid intense criticism.
Supreme Court Judge Naita Semaj will be moved to civil cases starting April 24, sources told the New York Post. The Commission on Judicial Conduct opened an investgiation into the judge last year after she angrily ejected a veteran supervisor in the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. The office has since documented other hostile or negligent behavior. Most notably, Semaj released an alleged child killer without bail, causing Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) to intervene and put him behind bars.
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Despite the inquiry and increasing criticism, the Bronx judge sought a promotion. She had applied to become the presiding justice on the Appellate Division, First Department, one of the most prestigious positions in the New York court system, according to the outlet. Occupants of the position oversee all disputed criminal and civil cases in the Bronx.
Sources told the New York Post that she was due to be interviewed for the job on Friday at 10:30 a.m., but she didn’t show up for it. The same day, sources informed the outlet that she was instead being demoted and transferred off of all criminal cases.
Public outcry over Semaj’s behavior reached a boiling point in early April. The judge released Tyresse Minter, the stepfather of Corde Scott, 15. Minter was accused of strangling Scott to death and was released without bail. The child’s mother, Karen Glenn, led the outcry. Glenn celebrated the news that Semaj would be taken off all criminal cases.
“I’m glad to hear that Judge Naita Semaj will no longer be hearing criminal cases,” Glenn told the New York Post. “I believe in the justice system, and now families and victims can be treated with dignity.”
“This is not the first time she’s done bad things, like in my son’s case,” she added.
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Semaj had also drawn criticism for publicly berating a mourning Glenn in the courtroom when she showed up late to Minter’s trial.
The judge was elected to a 14-year term as a state Supreme Court judge in November 2021.
