Mercer County Presiding Judge Gerald Council will be transferred to Middlesex County on Wednesday.
TRENTON - Mercer County Presiding Judge Gerald Council, who's facing disciplinary action for mistreating a coworker, asked to be transferred to another county court last month.
His request was granted by State Supreme Court Justice Stuart Rabner this week.
On Wednesday, Council will leave the presiding judge position he's held for eight years and take his newly assigned position as a judge in the family division of the Middlesex County Superior Court, according to an order from the state Supreme Court Monday.
Superior Court Judge Peter Warshaw will take over Council's position as the new Presiding Judge for Mercer County Superior Court.
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It was unclear Tuesday why Council asked for the change. In his request letter, Council wrote, "Given the present climate, I believe that my continued presence in the Mercer Vicinage would only serve as a distraction."
His request comes on the heels of a 56-page presentment to the Supreme Court from The Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct in September. The presentment went over accusations that Council mistreated employees in the Drug Court program in 2012.
State Judiciary Spokeswoman Winnie Comfort said Tuesday that the decision to move Council was based solely on request, not as discipline following the claims.
The presentment detailed Council's interactions with a female subordinate in 2012, claiming that he called the woman "my problem child," put a hand on her back to move her and grabbed her by the ear to pull her out of a room. The committee wrote that the woman was "purposefully and publicly humiliated" by Council's actions.
They also claimed that he gave defendants inappropriate nicknames like "Farmer Mosely," and "cry baby."
The committee recommended in September that Council be suspended without pay for one month following the accusations. That recommendation is still under consideration. Oral arguments - during which Council will have a chance to deny the accusations - will be held December 2.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.
