A New Hampshire official presiding over a bitter divorce case has reportedly been sidelined by the state Supreme Court after he was caught muttering obscenities during a hearing and calling the children involved in the custody dispute a “bunch of morons.” The New Hampshire Union Leader reports that Bruce DalPra, a judicial officer who oversees family court cases, found himself in hot water after a recording of a November 2020 telephone hearing revealed him mocking the family members. He reportedly said, “Who gives a fuck” when the father complained that he was no longer able to provide his kids with holiday meals. When the mother discussed whether her teen daughters handled their chores appropriately, DalPra allegedly said under his breath, “Of course not, they’re a bunch of morons.”

Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald of the New Hampshire Supreme Court issued a ruling Thursday vacating DalPra’s latest order in the case and appointing a new judicial officer. DalPra’s comments came to light after he copped to them himself in a letter to the Judicial Conduct Committee, the Union Leader reports. “I wish to emphasize that the comments—as inappropriate as they are—were not directed to any party. They were uttered out of frustration and under my breath,” he was quoted as saying.