Judge told he must quit comedy
US ruling against part-time stand-up
A judge has been told he’ll have to stop doing stand-up if he wants to continue his legal career.In a unanimous decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court decided that Vince Sicari's comedy career ‘is incompatible with the Code of Judicial Conduct’.
Following the decision, 44-year-old Sicari – who uses the stage name Vince August –handed in his resignation as a part-time municipal court judge, for which he is paid £8,000 a year.
The decision follows a 2008 ethics board recommendation that he quit his comedy work.
He said during previous hearings that he was equally passionate about both his jobs.
He previously said: The people who find out I’m a comedian who know me as a lawyer, find it impossible. They don’t see me being humorous or anywhere near funny because I’m very serious about my job.
‘People that know me on stage as a comedian, when they find out I’m a lawyer, they simply don’t believe it. They’re like, “How can it be? You in front of a jury? Get out of here! It’s impossible. They’re very different.’
August has done audience warm-up for The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and regularly appears at Caroline’s On Broadway, but it was his work on ABC hidden camera show What Would You Do? which caused concern among the legal establishment.
Published: 19 Sep 2013
