Assemblywoman Angela McKnight (D-Hudson) released the following statement regarding comments made by New Jersey Superior Court judges James Troiano and Marcia Silva in two separate sexual assault cases involving minors:
“It’s incredibly alarming to think that Judges Troiano and Silva believed they were exercising good judgment when they showed little regard for the victims in these cases, instead appearing to side with their alleged assailants.
“By emphasizing that an alleged rapist’s standing as a candidate for ‘not just college but probably a good college,’ and that the young man came ‘from a good family,’ factored into his decision making, Judge Troiano proved he could not be trusted to make conscionable choices on the bench.
“His colleague Judge Silva demonstrated a clear lack of moral compass in describing an alleged rape of a child as ‘not especially heinous or cruel.’ These comments are insensitive and inexcusable.
“We cannot forget that these alleged crimes were committed against children. One child was as young as 12.
“Troiano and Silva have proved to be unfit for service and must be removed from the bench immediately.”