Gregory Storie Censured

Gregory P. Storie, a St. Lawrence County Court judge in New York, was censured by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct after telling attorneys in his chambers, in January 2023, that he had effectively predetermined the sentence in a high-profile murder case he was overseeing, People v. Snow. Storie said that if the defendant did not plead guilty as charged, he would impose a sentence of 25 years to life, adding that any lighter sentence "would not look good" to the media or the victim's family — despite the defendant reportedly appearing catatonic at the time Storie said he would have accepted a guilty plea.

The Commission found Storie's statements showed his sentencing decision would be influenced by outside public opinion and revealed bias against the defendant, violating his duty to appear fair and impartial. The censure came just one month after Storie had been privately cautioned by the same Commission for separate ethics violations, including failing to recuse from a case involving relatives and improperly increasing a defendant's bail. Storie later recused himself from the murder case after both attorneys questioned his impartiality.