What this judge wants to do is go back to the same low standards that used to exist. Mayor Giuliani s persistent resort to personal attacks upon judges and the courts on which they serve constitutes a misuse of his authority as the chief executive of the City of New York, and tends to undermine respect for the rule of law. While responsible criticism of the merits of any judicial determination is always welcome in a free society, reckless personal attacks upon a judge, solely because a decision is disappointing, are highly inappropriate. Attacks of this nature are particularly troubling when they come from high public officials in coordinate branches of government as they tend to erode public confidence in the judiciary. We call upon the Mayor to recommit himself to honoring the pledge he made in May 1997 when he agreed that judges should not be subjected to personal ad hominem or vindictive attacks.
Individuals listed speak independently of their law schools.