Point Pleasant Beach Judge's Pro-Police Facebook Posts Violated Ethics Rules: Complaint

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ —A formal ethics complaint has been filed against the municipal court judge serving Point Pleasant Beach, accusing him of violating ethics rules by openly supporting pro-law enforcement groups on his Facebook account.

Robert M. LePore, who has served as a part-time municipal court judge in Point Pleasant Beach in 2016 and since August 2020, also violated judicial ethics by "liking" the Facebook page of a local Republican political campaign, according to the complaint, which was filed Oct. 26 by the state judiciary's Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct.

LePore was told to remove the items that were in violation, but failed to despite telling the committee he had done so, according to the complaint.

The formal complaint could lead to discipline by the New Jersey Supreme Court, with consequences ranging from private guidance to public censure or even a suspension, according to the state judiciary website.

LePore, a Brick Township resident who served as the municipal court judge there from 2011-2014, had come under scrutiny for his Facebook account, which was publicly visible, the complaint said.

That account, and his LinkedIn page, were no longer visible as of Monday morning.

LePore had posted or shared multiple posts associated with "Blue Lives Matter" and "contained multiple references to partisan political viewpoints" that included a post supporting a private business's efforts to honor Law Enforcement Appreciation Day with various initiatives, the complaint said.

In addition, he had liked and followed the Facebook accounts of local law enforcement organizations, such as the Ocean County Police Academy, the Point Pleasant Police Department, the Brick Township PBA Local 230 and the Brick Police Athletic League, LePore had liked pages including "American Police Beat" and "Survive the Streets: A Page for Cops," the complaint said.

LePore also had liked the group "NJ Bail Reform - Why New Jersey is LESS SAFE at the Taxpayers Expense."

That Facebook group "espouses views that contravene the Criminal Justice Reform initiative launched by the Judiciary on January 1, 2017 with which Respondent is charged with implementing as a municipal court judge," the ethics complaint says.

LePore had liked the page for the New Jersey 10th Legislative District election campaign of Jim Holzapfal, Gregory McGuckin and Paul Kanitra, the Republicans seeking the state Senate and Assembly seats in Tuesday's election.

The complaint also said LePore had violated ethics rules as his "friends" list and pages he followed "included several law firms in Ocean County, a paralegal at a law office, realtors, a mortgage company,insurance companies, and numerous local private businesses."

LePore's social media activity violated New Jersey's judicial code of conduct because it "expressed a bias for law enforcement, or minimally created the appearance of a bias, that cast reasonable doubt on Respondent's ability to act impartially as a judge," the complaint said.

The social media activity violated the code of conduct because it "impugned the integrity and impartiality of the Judiciary," the complaint said.

LePore's likes of private businesses "may reasonably be construed as a judicial endorsement of
those entities," and his Facebook friendships with various attorneys gave the impression "these
persons or organizations are in a position to influence Respondent and cast reasonable doubt on Respondent's capacity to act impartially as a judge."

The formal complaint is just one step in the process, according to the court system website.