Judge of the Day: Lawrence “Lothario” DeBello
The story of New Jersey Superior Court Judge Lawrence DeBello has the makings for a great romantic tale — the forbidden love between a judge and his law clerk.
From the New Jersey Law Journal:
A Mercer County, N.J., judge has admitted breaching judicial ethics and policies by sending romantic e-mails to his former law clerk via his judiciary e-mail account and by using his judicial office to help land her a public defender job.
The alluring law lovely, who has not been named, clerked for DeBello in Hudson County Family Court from 2006 through 2007. When she left, she and DeBello kept in touch, exchanging e-mails that discussed “personal matters” and used “offensive language”, according to the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct complaint [PDF].
DeBello unwisely used his judicial e-mail account for their correspondence, rather than opening a get_underneath_my_robes@gmail.com account. Even after being warned by his judicial superiors, DeBello could not keep his passion tamed:
DeBello admitted that at a December 2007 meeting with Hudson County Assignment Judge Maurice Gallipoli and Hudson County Trial Court Administrator Joseph Davis, he conceded the e-mails were inappropriate…. But after that meeting, the e-mails continued and even heated up. DeBello admitted that in December 2007 and mid-January 2008, he “participated in the escalation of the intimate tone and nature of those e-mail exchanges, which concerned their respective romantic feelings for one another.”In January 2008, DeBello was transferred to Mercer County, but kept up the e-mails, trying to help the former clerk get a new job. He admitted he “used the power and prestige of his office” to advance her “private interests” by making an unsolicited telephone call to Deputy Public Defender Edward Marable — head of the Office of Law Guardian for the northwest region, who had appeared before him in court — telling him the former clerk was interested in a law guardian job.
Love obviously made this justice blind to the error of his ways. We just hope he got more than legal research out of his judicial Juliet.
DeBello has filed an answer [PDF] to the complaint which basically amounts to “Busted.” As Will S. said, the course of true love never did run smooth.
Judge Admits Ethics Breach Over Torrid E-Mails With Former Clerk [New Jersey Law Journal]
Judge Hit With Ethics Charges Over Steamy E-Mails With Former Clerk [New Jersey Law Journal]
(37) Comments
Comments
1
QUINN REFRAINS from such seedy behavior
Hey, this judge is pretty good in the time-travel department. Take a gander at at Paragraph 2, under "Facts" in the complaint.
Hey, this judge is pretty good in the time-travel department. Take a gander at at Paragraph 2, under "Facts" in the complaint.
A state judge caught in a love scandal? Why is this news? It happens all the time, especially in states like New Jersey, where most members of the state judiciary are cherry picked political appointments with no real legal experience. Most of these state judges have never tried a case before in their lives. Some are even failed law practitioners that could not survive in a firm or solo environment. It is no surprise to see shameful conduct like this on the state judiciary level. DeBello means of beauty in Italian. There is nothing beautiful about this incident or the mugshot of a smug judge so inebriated with power that he carries on a love affair using state resources. He should be removed from the bench but alas he will only receive a slap on the wrist.
Gentlemen of my preparatory academy frequently abetted their proteges' professional aspirations only to further their own bawdy and salacious interests. Rarely did this occasion any notable commentary.
- Judicial Fraternity Lothario
Since when is it wrong to help your clerk get a job?
"using his judicial office to help land her a public defender job."
I think he actually hates her.
This was wrong?
He should have just called in the Wolf. The Wolf would have handled this with no problem, even taken care of a body if necessary.
If he was more connected, maybe he could have instead gotten her a gig as a slave on a galley.
So we triple-teamed on him...
Dropping them motherfuckin' b's on him
What's the problem here? Presumably she is over the age of consent. And she was his former clerk. So cannot two consenting adults be romantically involved? And as 7 pointed out, what's wrong with a judge making a call on his or her former clerk's behalf?
did you ever take the mpre, 13?
regardless, though, is it really hard to get a job in a PD's office?
Blow jobs for low paying jobs? Lawyers are really whores.
I clerked in NJ. This ranks pretty low on the list for outrageous behavior of Judges and law clerks.
Kash, the suggested email address is funny.
Not much of an ethical violation to have a consensual relationship with a former clerk. This is New Jersey, why aren't they going after the bribe takers?
14, yes.
Public Defender jobs are fairly hard to get - at least in places with established public defender offices or programs. There are usually very few openings each year, and the competition to get those jobs can be staggering.
Unlike with a lot of the firm jobs, where a person went to law school takes a (distant) back seat to one's knowledge and skill set. Many public defender services have a series of interviews, many of which will involve responding (in detail) to hypothetical questions, delivering mock closing/openings and preparing to cross a witness. What's almost as important is an applicant's dedication to the ideals of the office.
What I find so funny - now that I've fled that work for the money-filled bosom of my V20 firm - is how many of my coworkers really think it was harder to get the BigLaw job than it would be to get a job as a public defender.
Where's the story on Covington bonuses?
Was s/he at least HOT?
Was that wrong? Should I not have done that? I'll tell you I gotta plead ignorence on this thing because if anyone had said anything to me at all when I first started here that that sort of thing is frowned upon... you know cause I've worked in a lot of offices and I tell you people do that all the time.
*puts on my 'pretty face' and hangs around the courthouse...hopefully some judge will look 'kindly' upon me*
-nervous T-10 1L
soon to be nervous 1L sa
This happens in NJ all the time. There was the judge who masturbated in front of his law clerk in essex county. then you have the judge in passaic who kissed his law clerk in the parking lot. then in jersey city, you have the judge who fucked his assistant and then dumped her only to have her try to commit suicide by od'ing on sleeping pills. in the end, the state pays to settle the claims and the judges receive a 2 month suspension and are back on the bench like business as usual. what do you expect from a corrupt state like new joisey?
Is there a way to block posts from specific accounts? I would give my left nut to block anything written by Nervous
Was he getting a blow job when that photo was snapped? Judging by the look on his face . . .
25: *gives you a hug while simultaneously whispering my resume credentials in your ear*
-nervous T-10 1L
soon to be nervous 1L sa
Doesn't a judge use his/her office any time they call on behalf of a clerk? This is odd. There must be much more to it.
Is that a gold tooth?
A drunken sailor fucking a hooker shows more discretion and better judgment than Judge Debello.
12 - this is a family site - the Bs should really be described as "fifth ward Bs". Thank you.
The sad thing is that this will destroy her professional reputation, as well, even though the more egregious lapse in judgment was clearly his.
I am masturbating in front of a bailiff right now, does that count?
This is what happens when people mi-use their position and power.
What is so different about this? Partners in law firms do it all the time.
Nowhere does it mention his wife and six children....
let he who is without sin cast the first stone...this error in judgement has not only hurt him, but has affected his entire family...he is sorry...he knows he was wrong...and the hurtful comments posted here are pathetic...worry about your own lives...and let judge debello and his family move on...and try to pick up the pieces...