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Crimes Of A Judge: Laura Blackburne
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Borough President Helen Marshall (center) with Supreme Court Justice Laura Blackburner (left), who allowed a criminal suspect to flee from her courtroom. Tribune photo by Ira Cohen
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By Liz Goff
Outrage continues to boil over this week in response to Supreme Court Justice Laura Blackburne’s decision to help a robbery suspect duck out of a Queens courthouse to avoid arrest by detectives.
The fury began on June 10, when Blackburne was presiding over a low-level case involving convicted drug dealer Derrick Sterling. While hearing the case, Blackburne learned that Det. Leonard Devlin was waiting in a hallway outside the Kew Gardens courtroom to arrest Sterling on an unrelated robbery charge.
Blackburne ordered a court officer to escort Sterling out a back door of her courtroom and onto an elevator reserved for judges, authorities said.
Sterling bolted from the courthouse and was arrested 12 hours later at his residence — a drug treatment center.
As a result of her actions, Blackburne was reassigned to civil court, and a source from New York City Court Administration said that she will “probably” face criminal charges. Queens prosecutors said they will consider arresting Blackburne on misdemeanor charges of hindering prosecution if Sterling is convicted in the robbery case. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr. have publically called for further investigation into Blackburne’s actions.
In response to the controversy, officials at the NYS Court Officers Association (SCOA) announced this week that from now on, its members will detain defendants awaiting arrest, and anyone interfering with the process, including judges, will be arrested. One member of the Police Benevolent Association referred to the new policy as “Blackburne Rule Number 1.”
President Dennis Quirk of the SCOA said Blackburne “is a disgrace as a judge,” and that “she should be removed from the bench; she should be arrested.”
Civil libertarians were not quick to defend Blackburne’s behavior. Attorney Norman Siegel said, “It’s troubling for me as a lawyer to read what happened there,” and added, “I would acknowledge there are serious and substantial questions into what she did.” A rally in support of Blackburne outside the Queens Supreme Courthouse is set for June 17, according to the Queens Coalition of NAACP branches and community leader Rev. Charles Norris. This week, Borough President Helen Marshall called Blackburne her “friend.”
The state commission on Judicial Conduct is expected to address Blackburne’s actions when the panel convenes on June 17, authorities said. After concluding an investigation, the commission can recommend public censure, removal from office, or a finding of no misconduct, said administrator Robert Tembeckjian. If the panel recommends removal, the matter will be handed over to the state court of appeals.
Blackburne has had a controversial history. She spent city money to redecorate her office, released a woman accused of biting a police officer because of police brutality and let a accused criminal off the hook because he was not granted a “speedy trial.”
Blackburne, whose husband was a Democratic district leader in Southeast Queens, was elected to Queens Civil Court in 1995, and in 1999 was elected to the State Supreme Court.
Executive Secretary Michael Reich of the Queens County Democratic Party did not return messages left at his office.
–Azi Paybarah contributed to this story
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