Kathy Wachtman Censured Removed

Kathy Wachtman, a justice of both the Wolcott Village Court and the Huron Town Court in Wayne County, New York, resigned from both positions on October 21, 2024, days before she was scheduled to testify before the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. The Commission's investigation found Wachtman issued an order of protection without notifying the defendant, then changed an existing order of protection to add a protected party — and backdated the revised order to make it appear it had been served to the defendant five days earlier than it actually was.

This was Wachtman's second finding of misconduct in five years: the Commission had already censured her in 2019 after she held a preliminary hearing without the defendant's lawyer present, denied the defense's request for an adjournment, and failed to tell the defendant of his rights to have counsel present, cross-examine witnesses, call his own witnesses, or testify. As part of her 2024 resignation, Wachtman agreed to never seek or accept judicial office again.