On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, the New Jersey Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct (ACJC) announced that a formal public hearing will be held regarding Judge Antonio Inacio of the Municipal Court. The hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at the Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex, located at 25 Market Street in Trenton.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Judge Antonio Inacio,” with case numbers ACJC 2023-109 &
ACJC 2024-018.
The ACJC’s decision to hold this hearing follows a formal complaint that was filed against Judge Inacio on March 5, 2024. The complaint alleges multiple violations of the New Jersey Code of Judicial Conduct. Subsequently, Judge Inacio submitted his answer to the complaint on March 22, 2024, in which he admitted to the factual allegations presented against him.
The complaint against Judge Inacio includes four specific counts of misconduct. The first count claims that the judge demonstrated a lack of impartiality by presiding over cases involving Clark Township police officers and a code enforcement officer whom he had previously represented in his private law practice. It is alleged that from 2014 to 2022, Judge Inacio disposed of over 130 tickets issued by these officers, leading to concerns about his ability to remain unbiased in these cases.
In the second count, it is alleged that Judge Inacio interpreted court proceedings from English to Spanish without utilizing a certified interpreter, which is a violation of the state’s Language Access Plan. This practice was observed by both the Municipal Division Manager and the Presiding Judge for Municipal Courts, who informed Judge Inacio that it was not an acceptable procedure.
The third count of the complaint accuses Judge Inacio of making inappropriate remarks to a defendant during an August 2020 case regarding the defendant’s employment and relationship status.
The final count states that Judge Inacio failed to report to the appropriate disciplinary authorities when he was named as a respondent in a March 2023 attorney ethics complaint that alleged dishonest conduct.
In his response to the complaint, Judge Inacio acknowledged the factual allegations but provided context for his actions. He stated that none of the officers involved in the cases testified during the proceedings he oversaw. Regarding the comments made to the defendant, he characterized them as intended to be lighthearted. Additionally, he indicated that he was unaware of the requirement to self-report the ethics complaint as a judge.
The ACJC will conduct the upcoming hearing in accordance with the “Rules Governing the Courts of the State of New Jersey, Rule 2:15 Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct.” This rule outlines the procedures for the ACJC’s hearings and the standards for judicial conduct.
As the ACJC prepares for the formal public hearing, it will examine the established violations of the judicial code of conduct attributed to Judge Inacio. The outcome of this hearing may lead to potential disciplinary actions against the judge, depending on the findings and conclusions drawn by the committee.
Judge Inacio’s courtroom is located at 315 Westfield Avenue, Clark, NJ 07066, and can be reached at 732-381-5395.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
