Judge in the courtroom. Male judge striking the gavel.

New york judge resigns after trying to fix friend's traffic ticket — Judge in the courtroom. Male judge striking the gavel.

LACKAWANNA, N.Y. — A City Court judge in Erie County has resigned after being charged with misconduct for orchestrating a fraudulent court proceeding to dismiss a traffic ticket for an acquaintance, the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct announced Wednesday.

Louis P. Violanti, an associate judge of the Lackawanna City Court, stepped down on Jan. 23, 2025, and agreed never to return to judicial office. This marks the second time he has resigned from the same court; his first resignation in 2013 came before the Commission could formally remove him, which would have barred him from holding judicial office again.

The Commission found that in January 2013, Violanti arranged and presided over a fake court proceeding in which a police officer impersonated a traffic defendant, and no prosecutor was present. He then dismissed the ticket. As a result, his law license was suspended for two years before being reinstated in 2016. Despite this history, he was reappointed as a judge in 2024.

In August 2024, the Commission served Violanti with a formal misconduct complaint, and by December, it determined that his misconduct was established. Facing likely removal, Violanti agreed to resign and permanently forgo future judicial positions.

The Commission’s order accepting his resignation and related documents have been made public, marking the conclusion of a long-standing judicial misconduct case.

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