Erin P. Gall, the state Supreme Court justice who came under scrutiny and was suspended after a video showed her threatening to shoot a group of Black teenagers, has tendered her resignation to the state Court of Appeals.
Per the Daily Sentinel, Gall’s resignation came after she was probed in the wake of the June 2022 incident. The Court of Appeals ultimately suspended her with pay, and she was facing removal from the bench.
The arguments in her case were yet to be held, but Gall on December 15 filed a motion and said she had ceased challenging the recommendation regarding her removal from the bench. Her attorney filed the motion.
“I have resigned from my position and have no intention to remain on the bench even if I were to succeed before the Court of Appeals,” Gall wrote in the motion, per the New York Law Journal.
The June 2022 incident, which occurred in New Hartford, made national headlines, with the video also going viral on social media. The former judge and her family also reportedly received physical threats, and law enforcement ended up granting them round-the-clock protection.
“In particular, my two sons received numerous death threats. The fear has been immeasurable and terrifying,” Gall wrote in the motion. “I do not believe that I can move forward with arguing this appeal for fear that my family will be put in danger once again.”
She also petitioned the Court of Appeals to cease providing other findings besides removal to “help lessen any potential harm to my family due to social media and national news exposure.”
The former judge confronted the four teenage boys during a June 2022 graduation party the judge and her family were invited to, per the Daily Sentinel. Other uninvited guests came to the party after they got to know about it, resulting in a series of altercations that Gall’s husband and son participated in.
Police ultimately responded to the scene to stop the fights. But as the four teenage boys were looking for their missing car keys, police body-camera footage captured her making multiple comments that were explicit and in racist nature. Gall also made it known she was a judge and informed the police that she supported them.
The teens eventually received the car’s spare keys from relatives who came to the location. But Gall threatened to shoot the Black teens after police told her and the other guests to hand over the missing keys to them in case they found it.
“I’ll call you when they’re on the property. If they did, they’ll be arrested, or they’ll be shot on the property. Because when they trespass, you can shoot them on the property. I’ll shoot them on the property,” Gall was heard saying.
The state judicial conduct commission cast doubts about Gall’s impartiality after she was probed in the wake of the incident.
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