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Judicial conduct commission looking at judge's alleged hit-and-run

Nov 01, 2018 12:30 pm
Brendan J. Lyons is reporting for the Times Union state Supreme Court justice candidate, and current Albany County Family Court Judge, Margaret T. Walsh is under investigation by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct about an incident last summer that resulted in the judge receiving a ticket for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident. A witness told police that Walsh sped away after backing into an unoccupied vehicle that was parked across the street from the residence of Walsh's mother. Both vehicles involved sustained damage to the driver's sides. There were no injuries. Walsh, a Democrat who co-chairs the state's Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics, drove immediately to her home and parked her vehicle in the garage. "I believe there is a big misunderstanding," Walsh said of the incident in June. "I didn't have a chance to talk to the other person (and) I think an assumption was made that was utterly false." Walsh referred questions posed by the Times Union about the case and the investigation to her attorney, Gregory J. Teresi, who said he was not aware of the probe. Teresi downplayed the significance of the commission's investigation, and said the commission normally will not close an investigation until after any related court case is resolved. The ticket is currently pending in Bethlehem Town Court. Teresi said a deal on the traffic violation had been offered, but it was still under consideration. Walsh has been a Family Court judge for 14 years in Albany and an acting state Supreme Court justice for 10. She is one of three candidates seeking two state Supreme Court positions in the Third Judicial District November 6. Read the full story in the Times Union.