Claudia Andreassen Removed

Claudia Andreassen, a Saugerties, New York town justice first appointed in 2012 and twice elected since, was discourteous and made disrespectful comments toward her own court staff and courtroom spectators, tried to make unilateral staffing decisions without her co-judge or the town board, violated rules barring sitting judges from campaign activity, and let her professional competence in the law lapse. That pattern — laid out in a New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct investigation that also found her relationship with the Saugerties Police Department "at times adversarial" — led her to resign effective September 30, 2022, rather than let the two-year probe run its course.

As part of her resignation agreement, Andreassen stipulated that she would neither run for nor accept any future judicial appointment. Andreassen said she faced "constant interference and intrusion" from the town's executive and legislative bodies and said she lacked the energy to correct what she considered inaccuracies in the allegations.