Judges New York City

It was just another tragedy in family court. A young crack mother, desperate to conceal her pregnancy, had locked herself in a tenement bathroom and given birth to a three-pound boy. As she pushed, he fell to the floor and broke his skull. The mother abandoned him, like she had two previous babies. All were born addicted to crack. "Can we do anything about this woman?" asks Judge Judith Sheindlin, her voice taut with anger.

NEW YORK - A judge on Monday invalidated anti-obesity rules that would have made New York the nation's first city to restrict sales of super-sized sugary drinks, setting up a showdown with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who called the last-minute ruling "completely wrong" and vowed to appeal. State Supreme Court Judge Milton Tingling's 36-page decision was issued the day before the limits were to take effect. It was a victory for a coalition of groups, including labor unions and the restaurant industry, who had sued to block enforcement after the city's Board of Health easily approved the regulations in September.

The judge who must settle the Woody Allen-Mia Farrow child custody fight said he was "the least qualified person to do that" after the last witness testified that the truth may never emerge about whether the filmmaker sexually abused his 7-year-old adopted daughter. The statement from Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Elliot Wilk came during an exchange with Stephen Herman, an expert on child sexual abuse called by Farrow. Herman was the last in a parade of witnesses on both sides.

A New York City judge, under fire for his handling of domestic abuse cases and for courtroom behavior that included telling a prosecutor she would look better in shorter skirts, was removed from the bench by the state's highest court. The New York Court of Appeals in Albany voted, 5 to 2, to oust 51-year-old Criminal Court Judge Lorin Duckman, agreeing with a judicial conduct commission that he had abused his power and mishandled cases. Duckman had been a judge since 1991.

A federal jury in New York ended its first day of deliberations without reaching a verdict in the alimony-fixing trial of former Miss America Bess Myerson and two others. U.S. District Judge John Keenan said the six men and six women on the panel, who were sequestered, would resume deliberations this morning. The jurors deliberated about 4 1/2 hours. Prosecutors charge that Myerson, 64, as city cultural affairs commissioner, hired the daughter of former state Supreme Court Justice Hortense W.

The trial that New York's tabloids have labeled the "Bess Mess" began Tuesday with all the elements of a TV miniseries. There was the former Miss America who, prosecutors charged, deliberately lied to the mayor of New York City. There was the defense lawyer who countered that the government simply had been sold a bill of goods by a vindictive wife.

The film industry movie-rating system, which was severely criticized on Thursday in a 15-page opinion issued by the New York judge presiding over a ratings suit, faces two more challenges next week. Miramax Films said on Friday that it will appeal the decision upholding the X rating given to "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

A federal judge who had been roundly criticized for invalidating a confession and seizure of 80 pounds of heroin and cocaine reversed himself Monday, ruling that police had properly seized the drugs from a suspected courier and that the evidence could be used against her. U.S. Dist. Judge Harold Baer Jr. said that additional testimony from the defendant and police during an unusual second hearing he conducted convinced him to change his mind.

For the last 10 years, critics have been saying that any rational person who takes a serious look at the movie rating system will see it for the sham it has become. On Thursday, a rational New York judge named Charles E. Ramos did just that. "The present system of rating motion pictures is an effective form of censorship," Ramos wrote in a 15-page opinion announcing his decision in a suit brought against the Motion Picture Assn.

A Bronx judge apologized for ordering a prospective juror to spend 15 days in jail for contempt after telling the judge he didn't like his attitude. John Wichmann was handcuffed and placed in a holding cell. A higher-ranking judge set him free within an hour, calling the sentence excessive. "I wish to acknowledge that I may have overreacted," state Supreme Court Judge Alexander Hunter said at a news conference.

A Bronx judge apologized for ordering a prospective juror to spend 15 days in jail for contempt after telling the judge he didn't like his attitude. John Wichmann was handcuffed and placed in a holding cell. A higher-ranking judge set him free within an hour, calling the sentence excessive. "I wish to acknowledge that I may have overreacted," state Supreme Court Judge Alexander Hunter said at a news conference.

A federal judge who had been roundly criticized for invalidating a confession and seizure of 80 pounds of heroin and cocaine reversed himself Monday, ruling that police had properly seized the drugs from a suspected courier and that the evidence could be used against her. U.S. Dist. Judge Harold Baer Jr. said that additional testimony from the defendant and police during an unusual second hearing he conducted convinced him to change his mind.

Citing a book that quotes Amy Fisher as saying she had sex with a male Long Island judge, Joey Buttafuoco's attorney asked that all Nassau County's male judges be barred from hearing the statutory rape case against his client. Fisher is in prison for shooting Mary Jo Buttafuoco after an alleged relationship between Fisher and Joey Buttafuoco ended. Joey Buttafuoco is charged with statutory rape and sodomy for allegedly having sex with an underage Fisher.

The judge who must settle the Woody Allen-Mia Farrow child custody fight said he was "the least qualified person to do that" after the last witness testified that the truth may never emerge about whether the filmmaker sexually abused his 7-year-old adopted daughter. The statement from Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Elliot Wilk came during an exchange with Stephen Herman, an expert on child sexual abuse called by Farrow. Herman was the last in a parade of witnesses on both sides.

It was just another tragedy in family court. A young crack mother, desperate to conceal her pregnancy, had locked herself in a tenement bathroom and given birth to a three-pound boy. As she pushed, he fell to the floor and broke his skull. The mother abandoned him, like she had two previous babies. All were born addicted to crack. "Can we do anything about this woman?" asks Judge Judith Sheindlin, her voice taut with anger.

The film industry movie-rating system, which was severely criticized on Thursday in a 15-page opinion issued by the New York judge presiding over a ratings suit, faces two more challenges next week. Miramax Films said on Friday that it will appeal the decision upholding the X rating given to "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

Citing a book that quotes Amy Fisher as saying she had sex with a male Long Island judge, Joey Buttafuoco's attorney asked that all Nassau County's male judges be barred from hearing the statutory rape case against his client. Fisher is in prison for shooting Mary Jo Buttafuoco after an alleged relationship between Fisher and Joey Buttafuoco ended. Joey Buttafuoco is charged with statutory rape and sodomy for allegedly having sex with an underage Fisher.

A New York City judge, under fire for his handling of domestic abuse cases and for courtroom behavior that included telling a prosecutor she would look better in shorter skirts, was removed from the bench by the state's highest court. The New York Court of Appeals in Albany voted, 5 to 2, to oust 51-year-old Criminal Court Judge Lorin Duckman, agreeing with a judicial conduct commission that he had abused his power and mishandled cases. Duckman had been a judge since 1991.

For the last 10 years, critics have been saying that any rational person who takes a serious look at the movie rating system will see it for the sham it has become. On Thursday, a rational New York judge named Charles E. Ramos did just that. "The present system of rating motion pictures is an effective form of censorship," Ramos wrote in a 15-page opinion announcing his decision in a suit brought against the Motion Picture Assn.

Following are excerpts from Judge Charles E. Ramos' opinion in dismissing the petition brought by Miramax Films and director Pedro Almodovar against the Motion Picture Assn. of America and the X rating given to Almodovar's "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" * Censorship is an anathema to our Constitution and to this Court. The (Motion Picture Assn. of America) which created and administers the present rating system also proclaims that it is against censorship.