Jordon Lilley Removed

The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct determined that Jordon R. Lilley, a Justice of the Smithville Town Court in Chenango County, should be removed from office for obstructing the Commission's investigation and for separate serious misconduct on the bench. The Commission found Lilley gave ex parte legal advice to landlords on how to evict tenants without any court proceeding, and illegally issued an ex parte order of protection on behalf of an alleged victim in a case that was no longer even pending in his court. When the Commission investigated, Lilley gave false testimony under oath, denying emails and conversations with the alleged victim despite evidence of numerous contacts, misrepresenting his relationship with her, and falsely claiming the District Attorney's Office had requested the protective order. While under a directive to preserve records, Lilley deleted more than 500 emails, which investigators later recovered. Lilley retired from judicial office on November 1, 2025, before the Court of Appeals could act on the removal determination; a judge removed from office in New York becomes permanently ineligible to hold judicial office in the state.