Judge in Cattaraugus County resigns

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A town justice in Cattaraugus County has resigned while under investigation for various alleged ethical violations.

The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct announced Tuesday that Gary Chamberlain, a justice in the town of Freedom, has stepped down.

Chamberlain has agreed never to seek or accept judicial office at any time in the future, and the Commission closed its investigation.

The Commission had been investigating several complaints alleging that, over a two-year period starting in October 2017, Chamberlain:

• Failed to enforce a town ordinance regulating storage of junk on residential properties
• Failed to properly inform a defendant during an arraignment of his due process rights
• Sent a letter to the editor of a local paper in which he made statements that were political and partisan in nature, criticized public officials and town residents about a matter of local controversy, and criticized a range of executive decisions and policies of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whom he described as “corrupt,” at a time when the governor was running for re-election.

Chamberlain, who is not an attorney, served as a justice in Freedom since 2010. His current term would have expired on Dec. 31, 2021.