The New Jersey Supreme Court has officially removed Richard Obuch, a municipal court judge in Elizabeth, from his position, following serious allegations of misconduct that occurred during a holiday party in December 2023.
On Friday, August 2, 2024, another Elizabeth municipal court judge, Carl L. Marshall, responded to a complaint filed against him by the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct (ACJC). Marshall is serving as a judge in multiple municipal courts across New Jersey,
That complaint, filed on July 1, centered around incidents that allegedly occurred while Marshall was presiding over cases in Elizabeth, Roselle, and Plainfield between 2018 and 2023. In his answer, Judge Marshall denied some of the allegations and claimed he did not have sufficient knowledge about other aspects of the complaint.
Chief Municipal Court Judge Roman Montes was censured in May 2014 for violating three judicial codes of conduct after he had a sexual relationship with a stripper he met at Rahway club Breathless, less than two weeks after she appeared before him in court on a domestic-dispute case.
Obuch, Marshall, and Montes were appointed as a municipal court judges by Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage, who refused to talk about Police Director James Cosgrove, who was accused of racism, until he announced the resignation of embattled top cop in 2019.
Bollwage has not addressed any of the three judges who got in hot water after he selected them.
Obuch’s uncle, Casimir Kowalczyk, was a Bollwage ally who served as First Ward Councilman for the City of Elizabeth and Union County Freeholder.
The decision, filed on October 2, 2024, permanently bars Obuch from holding any judicial office in the state.
The removal stems from a complaint lodged by the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct (ACJC), which outlined multiple instances of inappropriate behavior at the annual holiday party hosted by the Union County Municipal Court Judge’s Association.
According to the complaint, Obuch, who had been a judge since 2002, consumed a substantial amount of alcohol at the event, becoming intoxicated within a short time. Over the course of three hours, he reportedly drank two Old Fashioneds, sangria, and several shots of tequila and vodka.
During the party, Obuch was accused of inappropriately touching three female court employees, making sexually suggestive remarks, and following one of the women into a restroom while blocking the door with his foot. Some of his actions were reportedly captured on camera in a photo booth, where he allegedly kissed the women without their consent.
The misconduct allegations were taken seriously after several court employees raised concerns about his behavior. Following the complaints, a municipal court administrator asked Obuch to leave the party.
On Monday, July 8, 2024, he was suspended from exercising his judicial duties without pay while the disciplinary proceedings were pending against him.
In his affidavit submitted to the court, Obuch admitted that the facts alleged in the complaint were accurate and that he could not defend his actions.
This is not the first complaint filed against Obuch. In 2012, he received a reprimand for taking on a private legal case representing a city employee involved in a criminal complaint while simultaneously serving as a judge.
In addition to the allegations from the party, the ACJC cited Obuch’s inappropriate interactions on social media, including engaging with adult entertainment figures and making comments that brought his judicial office into disrepute.
The Supreme Court’s decision to accept Obuch’s consent for removal reflects a commitment to maintaining the integrity of the judiciary. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner signed the order, affirming that Obuch’s actions violated multiple canons of the New Jersey Code of Judicial Conduct, which require judges to uphold high standards of behavior and avoid actions that could undermine public confidence in the judiciary.
Obuch had been suspended without pay since July 8, 2024, pending the outcome of the investigation. Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, he is now permanently barred from serving in any judicial capacity in New Jersey.
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