After being charged with ethics violations for inappropriately touching three women at a holiday party last year while he was intoxicated, a longtime municipal court judge is permanently barred from the bench in New Jersey.

Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote that the New Jersey State Supreme Court accepted the removal by consent of Richard Obuch in a Sept. 17 order.

Obuch has been suspended from his judicial duties in Elizabeth without pay since July 8. At that time, the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct (ACJC) filed a formal complaint accusing him of violating several provisions of the state’s code of judicial conduct.

The alleged misconduct occurred in December 2023, when Obuch attended the annual Union County Municipal Court Judge’s Association holiday party at a restaurant in Elizabeth. The fete – which was open to judges and their court staff – served food and complimentary alcohol.

According to the complaint, he became visibly intoxicated just 45 minutes after arriving by consuming two Old Fashioneds and sangria as well as multiple shots of tequila and vodka.

Obuch also allegedly inappropriately touched three female Rahway Municipal Court employees and made several sexually suggestive remarks to them.

Additionally, he asked the women personal questions, such as their marital status. He also offered unsolicited relationship advice and kissed the women without their consent, the complaint says.

Alleged violations

Some of the other acts include approaching an employee on the dance floor and dancing inappropriately toward her. Obuch then followed her to the bathroom and blocked the door while making lewd comments, the complaint says.

Remarks about the behavior that evening prompted a municipal court administrator request Obuch leave the party, the complaint says.

Obuch has served as a municipal judge in Elizabeth since October 2002. He’s been a lawyer since 1992 and runs a private practice in Union.

Additionally, the complaint states Obuch maintained multiple social media accounts where he posted explicit images and comments about nude women. That included a November 2023 post on his X account showing himself “embracing an adult film actress at an Exxxotica Convention.” The complaint alleges that Obuch was “acquainted with the actress” and is a subscriber to her OnlyFans account.

The complaint also alleged that Obuch’s law firm website and personal social media accounts included references to his status as a municipal court judge, as did some of his personal social media sites.

The ACJC said this violated a canon that prohibits judge’s from using their power and prestige for their own personal and economic interests. Additionally, Obuch received previous warnigng not to do it, according to ACJC.

True and unethical

Rabner’s September decision stemmed from a ACJC report recommending the court accept the removal by consent of Obuch.

In his affidavit of consent, Obuch agreed to permanently step down from the bench. He acknowledged that the facts alleged in the complaint were true and that the alleged unethical conduct cannot be defended.

Obuch also admitted he failed to adhere to the following judicial conduct canons:

• Requiring judges to observe high standards of conduct so that the integrity and independence of the judiciary may be preserved;
• Requiring judges to avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety and to always act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary;
• Prohibiting judges from lending the prestige of judicial office to advance personal or economic interests; and
• Requiring judges to conduct their extrajudicial activities in a manner that would not cast doubt on the ability to act impartially, demean the judicial office or interfere with the proper performance of judicial duties.

‘Poor judgment’

Obuch wrote in his affidavit, “I acknowledge that the acts of inappropriately touching female court employees, including kissing them, without their consent, following them to the women’s restroom, and making several inappropriate and/or sexually suggestive remarks to them, I demeaned the judicial office, demonstrated disrespect for the Judiciary, and an inability to conform my conduct to the high standards of conduct expected of judges, and exhibited poor judgment.”

He also added, “I acknowledge by my conduct in publicly interacting with adult entertainment figures and/or commenting on their photos, and posting comments that include vulgarity, lewdness, explicit sexual references, and nudity, I exhibited poor judgment and demonstrated disrespect for the Judiciary and an inability to conform to the high standards of conduct expected of judges.”

As for how he refers to himself on his websites, Obuch said, “Though having been advised by the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct of these ethical issues and acknowledging the impropriety of the referenced ethically inappropriate content from my social media accounts, I failed to remove same from those accounts. These multiple and varied references to my judicial office were ongoing up to the filing of this affidavit but have been removed.”

According to New Jersey Globe, this was the second complaint filed against Obuch. In 2012, he was reprimanded for serving as a private lawyer for an Elizabeth employee and becoming involved in a criminal complaint against that individual.

Obuch could not immediately be reached for comment.