Last week Justin Pascale, surrounded by family and friends, was sworn in as a Marlborough Town Justice by current Judge Daniel Jackson. Pascale is a registered Republican and won the Republican, Conservative and Democratic caucuses and ultimately ran unopposed last November.
Justin said he is looking forward to this new chapter in his life after his long service as a police officer.
“It was great that everybody was there and my cousin DJ [Dan Jackson) swore me in, which was pretty special,” he said.
Justin often thought about serving as a town justice after retiring as a Sergeant in the Marlborough Police Department. He recalled that when he was about 4 years old he would go to court when his father was a Judge and observe what was happening around him.
“It’s always been in my blood and something I’ve wanted to do,” he said. “I’m definitely looking forward to continuing my service protecting the citizens of Marlborough like I’ve done for the past 26 years.”
In 1998 Justin joined TOMVAC and worked as an EMT first responder and in 1999 he did some dispatching for the Police Department. In 2000 he attended the Police Academy and then joined the Marlborough Police Department in 2001. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2012 and fully retired in December 2023.
“I’ve always been guided by good principles and I was always fair and used common sense as an officer and I wanted to carry that on as a town Judge,” he said.
Recently, Justin attended an intensive week long course at a Judicial Office outside of Albany and passed several required tests before he could move on.
“They covered ethics, policy and procedure, reviewed various laws and the DWI process. It was very interesting to see the other side of the coin, so to speak. After we enforce it and a defendant comes before us, then there is the Judge’s point of view and how we interpret all of the circumstances. They went over a lot of extensive information,” he said.
Justin likened a Judge’s role to that of an umpire calling balls and strikes, “as we see them and that’s what a judge does, so you listen to the people, who are represented by the District Attorney’s Office and then listen to the defendant, so we as Judges are a neutral party, we’re an arbitrator, so it’s a whole different avenue and I’m really looking forward to it. Everybody expects to be heard with respect and dignity and that’s what I intend to do.”
Cousin Nick Pascale estimated that a few dozen people attended the swearing-in ceremony.
“I can say I’m proud of him and the family is proud of him and he’s going to do a good job as a fair and impartial judge for our community,” Nick said. “I certainly wish him the best of luck and I’m sure he is going to do very well with it and it’s a great honor to serve the community.”
Michael Pascale said he is proud of his son.
“It was a wonderful ceremony and I am very proud of him. There are four of us in the same family that have served and are still serving as Town Justices and I am very proud of that fact,” he said.
Michael served as a Town Judge from 1972 to 1987, “and I was one of the youngest Judges elected in the state of New York.”
Michael said there have been a few changes in the court system since his time as a town Judge, most notably, “They don’t do immediate arraignments in the towns any more, they have a central arraignment up in Kingston. When I was there and something happened at 2 a.m. I’d have to go down to the town hall for the arraignment for misdemeanors or felonies. Now judges commit themselves to a number of days or evenings in Kingston.”
Michael described his son as, “a law and order kind of guy. Since he was little he always tried to do the right thing and make his family and friends proud. He has good common sense and I think that is why he will adjudicate very fairly.”
Current Judge, Dan Jackson, said the swearing-in ceremony gave him the opportunity to publicly thank Judge Michael Kraiza, “who was on the bench for 12 years and was a real asset to the court.”
Jackson said Justin, “has been working very hard the past few months to get up to speed and I’ll do my best to guide him and answer any questions he may have. He’s going to do a great job [and] I think without a doubt he’ll easily make that transition from a policeman’s uniform to a Judge’s robe.”
Jackson said Justin, in a sense, will be wearing his Judge’s robe 24 hours a day.
“He has to carry himself in a responsible manner [and] having served as a Police Officer and being a role model in the community, he will have to live up to certain professional and ethical standards and I think he’ll carry that right over to the bench.”
Judge Jackson said Justin’s first night on the bench is Wednesday, January 8 at 5 p.m., “and I will also be there to lend any assistance or answer any questions he may have.”
Jackson said it is an unusual coincidence that he, Nick and Justin, “are the grandsons of three brothers who were born and raised here in the 1920s, served in WW II and then raised families here. We’re proud of that and we’re happy in a small way to honor their legacies.”
Jackson said the three brothers were Anthony Pascale, Doc Pascale’s father, John Pascale, Justin’s grandfather and Carmen Pascale, who is his grandfather. The brothers, along with three sisters, all grew up in a farmhouse on what is the current senior housing site of Jenny’s Garden, named after their great aunt, Giacomta “Jenny” Carofano-Buccieri, who with her husband Louie and her own 8 children, took care of the siblings after their parents died at an early age.