Upstate Judge Censured for Drunken Driving Arrest, Lying to Police
The report also said that Miranda touted his judicial office and threatened to "never again" conduct an arraignment for the state police, though there was no evidence he ever followed through on the promise.
February 06, 2020 at 10:53 AM
4 minute read
The state Commission on Judicial Conduct has formally censured an upstate judge who drunkenly crashed his car in 2018 and then lied to police officers about how many drinks he had consumed.
In a report made public on Wednesday, the commission said that the case of Justice Michael J. Miranda of the Shandaken Town Court in Ulster County "came very close to removal," and that it would have suspended Miranda without pay if that option were available.
"His unlawful and reckless conduct endangered public safety and brought the judiciary into disrepute," the commission said in the 15-page report. "By violating the law which he is called upon to administer in his court, respondent engaged in conduct that undermines his effectiveness as a judge and undermines public confidence in the judiciary."
The commission did, however, credit Miranda's assurances that the incident was a one-time mistake, as well as his commitments to continue treatment for alcohol abuse disorder, which he said he had suffered from for 12 years before his arrest in March 2018.
The Vietnam War veteran and former Ulster County prosecutor lost control of his car and crashed in Shandaken, damaging two stop signs and benches, after returning to Albany on a flight from Florida. According to the report, he had at least eight alcoholic drinks in his system and had stopped on the drive to drink vodka out of a bottle.
Miranda told two state police officers who responded to the scene that he had only had two beers at the airport. However, he failed three field sobriety tests and was found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.17% at the time of the crash.
Miranda was charged with driving while intoxicated and later pleaded guilty to a lesser offense of driving while ability impaired. He also completed a three-day alcohol detoxification regiment at a local hospital and checked himself into a two-week alcohol rehabilitation program.
The report also said that Miranda touted his judicial office and threatened to "never again" conduct an arraignment for the state police, though there was no evidence he ever followed through on the promise.
Miranda later admitted he had no recollection of making the statements, but said he had no reason to doubt the officers' account.
Miranda, who has served as a justice of the Shandaken Town Court since 2006, stipulated to the facts alleged in the disciplinary proceeding and agreed to the public censure.
Commission Administrator Robert H. Tembeckjian said in a statement that driving under the influence was a "serious offense," with "dangerous and potentially deadly consequences," but also highlighted the gravity of the judge's comments to the responding state police officers.
"A judge who excessively drinks and drives can expect public discipline," Tembeckjian said. "By invoking his judicial office to evade the consequences, and threatening not to conduct arraignments for the state police, Judge Miranda came close to being removed, which would likely have been the result if he had followed through on his threat."
Alfred B. Mainetti, who represented Miranda in the disciplinary action, said his client acknowledged he had made a "serious error in judgment."
"It's a very, very unfortunate and unhappy situation that I'm sure won't happen again," he said.
Miranda was first elected to the Shandaken bench in 2005 and was reelected in 2009, 2013 and 2017. His current term is set to expire Dec. 31, 2021.
A spokesman for the Office of Court Administration did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the case.
Read More:
Granville Judge Admonished for Interfering in Outside Case
Demystifying the Operations of the Commission on Judicial Conduct
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllRelaxing Penalties on Discovery Noncompliance Allows Criminal Cases to Get Decided on Merit
5 minute readBipartisan Lawmakers to Hochul Urge Greater Student Loan Forgiveness for Public-Interest Lawyers
'Playing the Clock'?: Hochul Says NY's Discovery Loophole Is to Blame for Wide Dismissal of Criminal Cases
So Who Won? Congestion Pricing Ruling Leaves Both Sides Claiming Victory, Attorneys Seeking Clarification
4 minute readTrending Stories
- 1Starbucks Sues Ex-Executive to Recover $1M Signing Bonus
- 2Navigating AI Risks: Best Practices for Compliance and Security
- 320 New Judges? Connecticut Could Get Wave of Jurists
- 4Orrick Loses 10-Lawyer Team to Herbert Smith in Germany
- 5‘The US Market Is Critical’: KPMG’s Former Head of Global Legal Services On the Legal Arm of the Big Four Firm Entering the US
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250