New York judge fired for pointing gun at a Black man in court

By MAYSOON KHAN
Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s highest court has removed an upstate judge from office for pointing a loaded handgun at a Black man during a 2015 court hearing. Justice Robert J. Putorti was a Whitehall Town and Village Court. He repeatedly emphasized the race and stature of the litigant when recounting the episode, sometimes boastfully. That’s according to an independent review by the New York State Court of Appeals. Putorti says he pointed the gun because the man approached the stand too quickly, crossing a stop line. The court’s decision noted that the ex-judge’s description of the defendant exploited a common racist trope about Black men being inherently dangerous.