A New Jersey judge who asked a rape victim last May if she could have closed her legs should be suspended for three months, a Supreme Court advisory panel recommended on Thursday. Superior Court Judge John Russo’s conduct toward the woman at a restraining order hearing showed “an emotional immaturity wholly unbefitting the judicial office and incompatible with the decorum expected of every jurist,” the review panel wrote in a 45-page recommendation. The report detailed four different incidents of misconduct and will be presented in a Supreme Court hearing scheduled for July 9. In May 2017, Russo asked a rape victim if she knew how “to stop somebody from having intercourse with you?” He then pressed her on how she could have avoided the situation, including “blocking [her] body parts” and “closing [her] legs.” After the incident, Russo was put on paid administrative leave.
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