The NBC News Reports

In August 2024, Emmy Award-winning NBC News journalist Sarah Wallace aired two segments on the alleged misconduct of Judge Waterman Marshall.

“Uncovering claims of judicial misconduct in New York” watch here

“Claims of judicial misconduct” watch here

As reported, the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct (CJC) received numerous complaints against Judge Waterman Marshall.

The most concerning allegations involved Judge Waterman Marshall denying litigants their constitutional right to counsel during contempt proceedings. Two litigants had allegedly been wrongfully imprisoned at Rikers Island as a result.

Ms. Wallace interviewed New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who along with New York Assemblymember Charles Lavine, is sponsoring a series of bills aimed at increasing transparency in judicial disciplinary proceedings. Sen. Hoylman-Sigal noted:

The current system is a black box, and you have no idea if a judge is being investigated.

We agree. We believe that had some of the alleged misconduct been reported earlier, this could have prevented alleged harm from impacting subsequent cases.