On Thursday, April 2, 2026, the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct recommended the removal of Jordon R. Lilley, a Justice of the Smithville Town Court in Chenango County, from his office due to obstruction of a commission investigation and other acts of misconduct.

The commission’s determination, which was transmitted to the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, cited that Lilley’s actions made him “unfit for judicial office.”

The Commission’s investigation revealed that Judge Lilley had engaged in several instances of misconduct. These included providing ex parte legal advice to landlords on evicting tenants without court proceedings, which led to unfair evictions.

Lilley also illegally issued an ex parte order of protection even when the case was no longer active in his court. He provided false testimony under oath, denying email and verbal conversations with an alleged victim, misrepresenting his relationship with the alleged victim, and falsely claiming the District Attorney’s office had requested the order of protection.

Additionally, he deleted over 500 judicial emails after being instructed to preserve them and refused to appear for additional testimony before the Commission.

Judge Lilley, who is not an attorney, had served as a Justice of the Smithville Town Court since 2013 and retired from his position on November 1, 2025. His term was set to expire on December 31, 2028.

According to Commission Administrator Robert H. Tembeckjian, obstructing a Commission investigation would result in a judge’s removal from office.

The Commission served Lilley with a Formal Written Complaint containing four charges on August 27, 2025, to which he did not respond. The administrator’s motion for summary determination was granted on January 29, 2026, which determined that the allegations were sustained. The Commission filed its determination on February 17, 2026, with 10 members in agreement.

The Court of Appeals may accept the Commission’s determination, impose a different sanction, or impose no sanction.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.