Gov. George Pataki pledged he will push for the removal of a judge who freed an alleged batterer who then killed his ex-girlfriend.
If a judicial review board doesn't remove Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Lorin Duckman, Gov. George Pataki said Wednesday he will call on the state Senate to oust him.The Legislature has not ousted a sitting judge since 1872.
"Judge Duckman has displayed a disturbing pattern of behavior that must be investigated by the appropriate authority," Pataki said. "I am confident that there is sufficient evidence to remove Judge Duckman from the bench."
The state Commission on Judicial Conduct said it would investigate and decide within 60 days what to do about the judge. Duckman will defend himself before the panel, said his lawyer, Lee Ginsberg.
Pataki counsel Michael Fin-negan said his office found at least six cases in which Duckman showed insensitivity toward victims of domestic violence.
The case that triggered the controversy was Duckman's decision in January to release Benito Oliver, a felon who had allegedly beaten ex-girlfriend Galina Komar on several occasions. Komar had begged for protection from Oliver.
On Feb. 12, Oliver went to the car dealership where Komar worked, shot her in the head and fatally shot himself, police said.