Bound Brook, New Jersey – A New Jersey judicial ethics panel has recommended removing municipal court Judge Britt J. Simon from the bench after he threatened truant students and their parents with deportation during court hearings.
The Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct said Simon used immigration status to “harass and intimidate” families in Bound Brook truancy cases. The panel’s majority found that his conduct suggested ethnic and socioeconomic bias, abused judicial authority, and damaged public trust in the courts.
Recordings played during disciplinary hearings included Simon berating students from El Salvador. In one case, he told a boy, “Your mother’s going to get deported,” and accused him of “spitting in the face of this country.” In another hearing, held shortly after President Donald Trump returned to office, Simon told a 14-year-old, “There’s a new sheriff in town,” and warned that ICE officials could wait outside court.
The panel rejected Simon’s argument that he lacked training in truancy cases. It also noted that truancy cases in New Jersey are civil matters brought against parents or guardians, not students.
Three panel members agreed Simon’s conduct was unacceptable but recommended lesser discipline, including training or public censure. The New Jersey Supreme Court will decide whether Simon is removed.
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