Matter of Coruzzi

The opinion of the Court was delivered by

WILENTZ, C.J.

Society invests its leaders with many powers. No power is greater, nor its responsibilities more awesome, than that given a judge. The power to render final judgment is limited only by the law and the judge’s conscience. Society gives this power on condition that judges be independent, trusting them and no one else. Respondent sold this power, he sold his judgments, he sold his independence. He not only betrayed his trust, he betrayed New Jersey’s tradition of judicial honesty: in the more than 35 years since the creation of our new court…