A New Jersey judge who said a teenager accused of rape should be given leniency because he’s from a “good family” has been removed from his role.
The state supreme court said Wednesday it was ending the service of Monmouth County Superior Court Judge James Troiano at the judge’s request, NJ.com reported.
Troiano had come out of retirement to hear cases on a temporary basis.
Last year, he denied a request to try a 16-year-old boy as an adult after he allegedly sent a video of himself penetrating a heavily intoxicated girl. Prosecutors allege the teen shared the video with his friends and sent a text that said, “When your first time having sex was rape.”
Troiano questioned whether the alleged actions amounted to rape, saying the “traditional case of rape” involves a gun or weapon.
“This young man comes from a good family who put him into an excellent school where he was doing extremely well,” he said. “His scores for college entry were very high.”
An appeals court overturned his ruling.
