A New York judge has been formally reprimanded after admitting she texted another judge demanding bail be set so a family friend could be held in jail. The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct determined that Ontario County Court Judge Kristina Karle attempted to influence another judge's handling of a criminal matter, and she has agreed to accept an admonition for her conduct.
According to the commission, Karle contacted another judge and staff at another court in January 2025 to get information about the arraignment of a family friend and to request that bail be set, as reported by WHEC. Karle repeatedly invoked her judicial title during those communications, according to the New York Daily Record. At one point, Karle texted the other judge directly: “please set bail and hold her,” the station reported.
Colleague Reported the Contact to State Regulators
The judge who received Karle's messages consulted legal counsel and was advised to file a report with the Commission on Judicial Conduct, per the same account from WHEC. That judge ultimately recused from the case rather than handle it after being contacted by a colleague seeking a specific outcome for the defendant.
Karle did not fight the findings. She apologized to the other judge, self-reported her own conduct to the commission shortly after it occurred, and cooperated throughout the process, the Daily Record reported. She has now agreed to the admonition itself.
A Relatively Light Penalty, But a Pointed Warning
Admonishment is the second-lowest punishment the commission administers in judicial misconduct cases, according to WXXI News. Karle presides over county and family court in Ontario County and also serves as an acting state Supreme Court justice, the station noted. She has held the county court post since 2019 and has served as an acting Supreme Court justice since 2021, per the Daily Record.
Commission Administrator Robert H. Tembeckjian said the episode damaged public trust in the courts. Public confidence in the integrity of the judiciary is undermined when a judge uses her office to try to influence the outcome of a case for someone she knows personally, Tembeckjian said, adding that ordinary defendants do not have that kind of direct access to a sitting judge.
What Happens Next
Under commission procedure, determinations such as admonition, censure, removal or retirement are filed with the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals along with the supporting record, according to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct. Any public determination is subject to review by the Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, if the respondent judge requests it in a timely manner.
Karle's case is one of several judicial discipline matters the commission has acted on this year. Its 2026 press-release log also lists the censure of a New York City Criminal Court judge in New York County on October 13 and the admonition of a Surrogate's Court judge in September, according to the commission's own release page.
