There had been absolutely no intimation from any point up to that moment. Martinez promptly resigned from her administrative post and moved to the Manhattan bench for her truncated term. Last week, New York State Chief Judge Judith Kaye met with Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to express concern about his refusal to reappoint Martinez, who had been already approved by the mayor's own review committee and the city Bar Association. It's no surprise that the administration is at odds with Martinez, a famously outspoken Dinkins appointee well known for refusing to let city attorneys abuse their power in her courtroom. The shock is that the mayor appears to have used that reputation as his sole reason for removing Judge Martinez from the bench.
People are very sad, very angry.
It was so obviously done with the intent to humiliate and embarrass her, when she's one of the best judges we have. Legal Aid attorneys represent juvenile delinquency defendants as well as children in neglect and abuse cases. According to Bronx courthouse sources, two incidents came up that appear to have sealed her fate. In one, attorneys for the city claimed that Martinez yelled at a child witness who was reluctant to testify in a juvenile assault case. Legal Aid and court staff contend that the judge was, in fact, directing her fury at the city prosecutors who were pressuring the child to speak.