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A judge in Yates County resigned after she was accused of trying to sway a pending custody case this year, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct announced on Thursday.

Rennee Crofoot, a justice of the Barrington Town Court, left office in early October after the commission contacted her about an investigation into her conduct regarding the custody case. She is not an attorney.

According to the commission, she sent an email to the court identifying herself as a judge and criticized one of the parties in the case to advance her own interest.

Robert Tembeckjian, administrator of the judicial conduct commission, said in a statement that Crofoot's behavior was inappropriate.

“A judge must scrupulously avoid tipping the scales in a case pending before another judge by interjecting views promoting one party, criticizing another or otherwise trying to influence the outcome,” Tembeckjian said.

Crofoot agreed to never seek judicial office again, and said in her resignation letter to the town clerk in Barrington that the position had helped her grow personally and professionally. She had served as a justice of the town court since 2014. Her term would have expired in 2021.

“I cannot thank the Town of Barrington enough for allowing me this opportunity for the last five years,” Crofoot wrote. “This job has been instrumental in my personal and professional growth.”

Crofoot represented herself before the commission. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

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