Town of Ulster Judge censured for ‘contributing to a hostile work environment,’ officials say – Daily Freeman

TOWN OF ULSTER, N.Y. — Town of Ulster Judge Susan Kesick has been censured for “contributing to a hostile work environment,” the state Commission on Judicial Conduct said Wednesday.

The commission’s “determination” was dated Feb. 20 and made public on Wednesday, March 11, in a press release.

“The Commission found that the judge should be disciplined for contributing to a hostile work environment by mishandling a dispute with a court clerk and for using her judicial title in a personal email address,” the commission said.

Kesick agreed to the censure, according to the commission.

In an “agreed statement of facts,” the commission said Kesick “failed to uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary by failing to maintain high standards of conduct so that the integrity and independence of the judiciary would be preserved.”

In its news release, the commission said, “In accepting the jointly recommended sanction of censure, the Commission noted that the judge ‘acknowledged that her conduct was improper and warrants public discipline and that she has committed to working collegially with court staff.’”

In a emailed statement to the Freeman on Wednesday, Kesick said, “The people who know me know my character and how I treat my staff and all that come before the Town of Ulster Justice Court. I will continue to be honest, ethical, and hardworking, and this is how I will continue to serve the residents of the Town of Ulster, as their Town Justice, as I have for the past 20 years.”

Kesick continued, “My focus is on the future. I am glad to put this matter in the past, where it will remain.” She thanked “all who showed me support throughout this, including my family and friends, and especially my attorneys, Peter Lauricella and Daniel Lange.”

Kesick, who is not an attorney, has been a justice of the Ulster Town Court since 2006.  Her current term, which began in January, expires on Dec. 31, 2029. In the November 2025 election, Kesick ran on the Republican and Conservative lines and defeated Amy Ingram by 1,785 to 1,501, who ran on the Democratic and Our Town Ulster lines.

In a statement, Commission Administrator Robert H. Tembeckjian said, “Judges are obliged to be patient, dignified and courteous toward all with whom they deal in their official capacity. They must maintain decorum, not act so intolerably as to create a hostile work situation or disclose confidential information in attempting to get a colleague fired.”

In its 11-page determination, the commission said it was served with a formal, written complaint on March 27, 2025, containing two charges. The first alleged that between May 2023 and October 2023 the judge was rude toward a clerk identified only as “Jane Doe” and that “during a personnel dispute with the clerk … unnecessarily involved police by asking that they remove the clerk from the building.”

Later, according the the determination, Kesick called for Doe to be fired, a request that was refused by the town board because “it could be construed as a retaliatory discharge.”

The second charge alleged that “from at least February 2024 to December 2024” Kesick “used an email address that identified her as a judge for personal matters.”

The second charge involved Kesick’s alleged use of an email address beginning with “slkjudge@” as her personal email address for “various types of personal business, including but not limited to online shopping and paying bills.”

The commission said Kesick “regrets having engaged in a petty and avoidable squabble with Ms. Doe and acknowledges that asking the police to remove Ms. Doe from the building was an overreaction … (and) re-commits herself to working collegially with court staff and her co-judge in the administration of court business in the future.”

Additionally, her new email address makes no reference to her judicial title, the commission said.

The Commission was represented by Deputy Administrator Cathleen S. Cenci, Principal Attorney S. Peter Pedrotty, Staff Attorney Shruti Joshi and Senior Investigator Laura Misjak.

The commission’s determination, including the agreed statement of facts, are available on the Commission’s website at www.cjc.ny.gov.