A Bronx judge who has long drawn complaints from both defense attorneys and prosecutors is facing a fresh campaign to be kept off the bench. This week, the criminal-justice nonprofit Center for Community Alternatives sent lengthy letters to Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul, urging them to deny Judge Ralph Fabrizio any reappointment or elevation as his current term winds down.
The 18-page letters, shared exclusively with Gothamist, compile appellate reversals, formal complaints, court transcripts and anonymous survey responses that the group says point to "volatile, vindictive and erratic" behavior on the bench. Peter Martin, director of the group's Judicial Accountability Project, told the outlet the materials are intended to disqualify Fabrizio from any new term. The organization says its files detail abrupt reversals and sharp exchanges with lawyers and defendants that, taken together, amount to a troubling pattern.
Case Examples Cited
The letters highlight several episodes, including the high-profile 2023 case of Norberto Peets, in which Fabrizio vacated a decades-old conviction, briefly reinstated it, then vacated it again, a sequence The City described as "almost unheard of." The Peets case, which left him free after more than 25 years, is documented by the Innocence Project and is central to the reform group's argument that such reversals show unreliable judicial decision-making.
Official Record and Oversight
Despite the complaints and appellate reversals catalogued in the letters, the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct’s public determinations database does not list any formal public discipline against Fabrizio, and the commission's searchable decisions are available online. Fabrizio has served on New York City Criminal Court since 2001 and has been designated an acting Supreme Court justice in the Bronx for more than a decade. Public records indicate he is 69 and that his current term expires this year, according to reporting by Newsweek. The commission's determinations page can be searched by name.
What Comes Next
The Center for Community Alternatives is calling on Mayor Mamdani to refuse reappointment and on Gov. Hochul to withhold any interim Supreme Court nomination that would allow Fabrizio to remain on the bench. Mamdani's administration and the governor's office did not respond to requests for comment, Gothamist reports. The group points to early staffing choices on the mayor's judicial advisory committee as a sign that the new administration could put judicial picks under a brighter spotlight. Activists say the outcome will test whether city and state officials are willing to prioritize accountability in judicial selection.
Legal Implications
If Gov. Hochul nominated Fabrizio to a state Supreme Court seat, he could become eligible for certification that would let him remain on the bench past the ordinary retirement age, potentially adding several years to his tenure, a point observers say sharpens the stakes of any nomination, per Newsweek. Advocates say that possibility makes transparent vetting and a careful review of the record essential before any reappointment or elevation.
