E. Timothy Mercer Removed

E. Timothy Mercer, a part-time justice of the Athens Town Court in Greene County, New York, was found by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to have improperly awarded a $3,300 no-bid contract for courthouse improvements to his own company, Mercer Associates, rather than opening the work to competitive bidding. The Commission further found Mercer falsified his invoice for the work, not disclosing that the equipment he purchased cost $760 less than what he billed the town. When town officials raised conflict-of-interest concerns, Mercer reportedly invoked his judicial status to pressure them into paying the invoice, threatening to charge interest on late payment. The Commission voted 10-0 that removal from office was the appropriate sanction, finding he had abused his position for private financial gain and filed its determination on December 27, 2023.