The investigation, conducted by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, is looking into whether DiFiore improperly intervened in a disciplinary hearing by the president of the state judicial officers association, Law 360 said, citing documents and a person familiar with the matter. Dennis Quirk, the leader of the court officers’ union and a critic of DiFiore, faced punishment for threatening to release copies of an old newspaper report about an alleged affair DiFiore had in courts across the state. Last August, DiFiore wrote a letter to the hearing officer in Quirk’s case, Phyllis Orlikoff Flug, asking that Quirk be punished, arguing that he has “shown no remorse,” Law 360 reported. “These patent realities require that you use every means at your disposal to address this incident and prevent future misconduct by the defendant,” he wrote. Flug told Law 360 that she forwarded the letter to the Judicial Conduct Commission shortly after receiving it and was told by the commission’s chief counsel that it would be investigated. Judicial ethics do not allow judges to use their titles to influence a proceeding for personal gain, according to Law 360. On Monday, DiFiore announced she was stepping down, touting her record of more than six years in the position. Appointed by former Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2016. A person familiar with the investigation confirmed that DiFiore was under state investigation when she made her announcement, though state court spokesman Lucian Chalfen told Law 360 that her resignation was not connected to the investigation. Quirk, when asked for comment by Law 360 about the investigation into DiFiore, said she “should know better as a judge.” Quirk faced a disciplinary hearing after a story in The Post reported that DiFiore ordered an “independent review of the New York judicial system’s response to issues of institutional racism” following a complaint about Quirk’s alleged behavior toward black officers of the court, according to law 360. DiFiore wrote a letter to the hearing officer asking that Dennis Quirk, the president of the New York court, be punished. AP/Mike GrollQuirk faced punishment for threatening to release copies of a newspaper story about an alleged affair DiFiore had. Staff-Shot He then emailed DiFiore and said he would respond to the “false rumors,” according to documents in a related state court dispute about DiFiore possibly testifying at the disciplinary hearing, the legal outlet said. “Let [sic] I see [how] you like online articles about your relationship with a police officer with ties to organized crime while you were married are being published in all New York Courts,” he allegedly said, according to court documents. The email was subsequently referred for possible disciplinary action. Gov. Kathy Hotchul will need to appoint a new chief justice, prompting speculation that the Court of Appeals may shift to the left politically.
