Ex Union County Judge Suspended After Drunkenly Dancing With Woman

UNION COUNTY, NJ —A former Elizabeth municipal court judge has been suspended from practicing law for three months after admitting he became intoxicated at a 2023 holiday party and engaged in inappropriate conduct involving three female court employees, including unwanted physical contact and sexually suggestive behavior.

The suspension of Richard Obuch takes effect June 7, according to a New Jersey Supreme Court order issued in May.

Subscribe

The case stems from a December 2023 holiday party hosted by the Union County Municipal Court Judge’s Association in Elizabeth, where disciplinary filings state Obuch became intoxicated within a short period and began interacting inappropriately with three employees from the Rahway Municipal Court.

According to the findings, Obuch admitted to making sexually suggestive remarks, asking personal questions about the women’s relationships, and kissing some of them without consent.

One employee told investigators she left a dance floor area after Obuch allegedly danced toward her in an inappropriate manner. Court records state he later followed her to a women’s restroom and used his foot to prevent the door from closing while urging her to come out and take another drink.

Other court employees reported his behavior during the event, and a court administrator ultimately directed him to leave the party, according to the filings.

The New Jersey Supreme Court permanently removed Obuch from judicial office in September 2024 after he acknowledged the allegations and agreed they could not be successfully defended.

In addition to the suspension, he has been ordered to complete a sexual harassment training program approved by the Office of Attorney Ethics.

A disciplinary review board voted 5–4 in favor of the three-month suspension, with four members supporting a lesser penalty.

Obuch, who was admitted to the New Jersey bar in 1992, served as a municipal court judge in Elizabeth starting in 2002.