{"id":43321,"date":"2026-08-13T15:21:43","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:21:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=43321"},"modified":"2026-08-13T15:21:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:21:43","slug":"nys-chief-judge-forced-to-admit-his-call-to-oust-jurists-who-give-stupid-long-prison-terms-was-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=43321","title":{"rendered":"NY&#8217;s chief judge forced to admit his call to oust jurists who give &#8216;stupid&#8217; long prison terms was wrong"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F08%2F137196557.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>ALBANY \u2013 New York Chief Judge Rowan Wilson was forced to admit he shouldn\u2019t have <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/11\/us-news\/nys-top-judge-sparks-outrage-with-wild-suggestion-to-go-easy-when-sentencing-criminals\/\">called on voters to oust jurists<\/a> who believe in \u201cstupid\u201d long sentences.<\/p>\n<p>Wilson faced a complaint filed by a group of Republican state lawmakers, who <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/11\/us-news\/nys-top-judge-sparks-outrage-with-wild-suggestion-to-go-easy-when-sentencing-criminals\/\">said he crossed a line when he told attendees<\/a> at a CUNY Law School forum earlier this year that voting out hard-nosed judges was \u201csomething you can do for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wish I had been clearer,\u201d Wilson wrote to the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, according to its letter ultimately dismissing the complaint.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Chief Judge Rowan Wilson conceded that he shouldn\u2019t have called lengthy prison sentences \u201cstupid\u201d and that he was in the wrong to encourage a CUNY Law School forum to vote out judges who support harsh punishments. <span class=\"credit\">Albany Times Union via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He said the remarks were a reaction to hearing about an unnamed judge calling a defendant an \u201canimal\u201d who \u201cshould be \u201clocked up\u201d for the rest of his life before sentencing him.<\/p>\n<p>Wilson \u2014 who once penned a widely-panned legal opinion arguing that an elephant at the Bronx Zoo had the same rights as humans \u2014 said he lost control amid \u201cextreme disgust of the comparison of human beings to caged animals.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI should have said that the voters have that ability and should become informed and express their preferences through the electoral process,\u201d Wilson wrote. <\/p>\n<p>Judges must stick to strict rules governing their political statements, one of the basses for the GOP pols\u2019 complaint, which was filed in March.<\/p>\n<p>The judicial conduct commission did not take issue with Wilson\u2019s other remarks at the same forum calling on Albany lawmakers to pass the Second Look Act, which would allow felons to request another sentencing hearing after 10 years.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Assemblyman Michael Tannousis and other GOP state lawmakers filed an ethics complain against Wilson over the comments earlier this year. <span class=\"credit\">Michael McWeeney<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt is permissible for a Chief Judge, as leader of the Unified Court System, not only to advocate for but also to propose legislation concerning the law, the legal system and the administration of justice,\u201d the CJC wrote.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for Wilson, who has served as chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals since 2022, did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>State Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-Suffolk), a former prosecutor and ranking member of his chamber\u2019s judiciary committee, said he was \u201cglad\u201d that Wilson was forced to address his comments, even if the CJC ultimately did not penalize him.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Chief Judge Rowan Wilson speaks at the Westchester Legal Aid Society\u2019s grand opening of the moot court room and training center in White Plains on June 20, 2024. <span class=\"credit\">USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m glad to see that Judge Wilson\u2019s conduct was addressed, and that he will choose his words more carefully in the future. It\u2019s unfortunate that those comments were made in the first place,\u201d Palumbo said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Chief Judge\u2019s comments were wholly inappropriate, seeking to galvanize opposition against judges with whom he does not agree,\u201d Assemblyman Michael Tannousis (R-Staten Island) wrote in a statement.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cAlthough I appreciate the Commission\u2019s investigation into the matter, I question whether a deferential standard was applied here that would not have been applied to judges with an alternative point of view,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to being elevated to the chief judge post, Wilson <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/06\/14\/ny-court-rules-happy-the-elephant-is-not-a-person\/\">wrote a dissenting opinion <\/a>in favor of Happy the elephant, via an animal rights group, being allowed to petition for her freedom from the Bronx Zoo through habeas corpus \u2013 a legal principle used for challenging wrongful imprisonment. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe should recognize Happy\u2019s right to petition for her liberty not just because she is a wild animal who is not meant to be caged and displayed, but because the rights we confer on others define who we are as a society,\u201d\u00a0he wrote at the time.<\/p>\n<p>As chief judge, Wilson has presided over consequential matters, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/04\/25\/us-news\/harvey-weinsteins-felony-sex-crime-charges-overturned-by-nys-highest-court\/\">like overturning Hollywood sexual predator Harvey Weinstein\u2019s <\/a>first sex-crimes conviction in Manhattan court.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ALBANY \u2013 New York Chief Judge Rowan Wilson was forced to admit he shouldn\u2019t have called on voters to oust jurists who believe in \u201cstupid\u201d long sentences. Wilson faced a complaint filed by a group of Republican state lawmakers, who said he crossed a line when he told attendees at a CUNY Law School forum&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/137196557.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43321"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43321\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}