A New Jersey judge is facing disciplinary proceedings for allegedly getting drunk at a Christmas party for judges last December, then inappropriately touching three female court employees and making sexually suggestive comments.

Elizabeth Municipal Court Judge Richard Obuch is also accused of interacting with adult entertainment personalities on social media and making inappropriate comments on their photos.

The court's Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct (ACJC) alleges in his complaint that he “consumed two Old Fashioneds, sangria and five or more shots of tequila and vodka during the three hours he spent at the party” and that he “became intoxicated within 45 minutes of arriving at the party, but continued to drink alcohol for over two hours thereafter before leaving the party for the evening.”

Some of Obuch's behavior, including kissing the women without their consent, appears to have been “caught on camera” after he “invited himself into a photo booth to take photos with the women.”

The complaint describes a moment when Obuch allegedly approached one of the court employees “on the dance floor” while dancing and spinning toward her inappropriately.

Then, the complaint says, Obuch followed the woman to the women's restroom and “wedged his foot in the door frame, preventing her from closing the door while saying, 'Wait, wait, come on, let's take a picture.'” This was apparently observed by others.

“By inappropriately touching female court employees without their consent, including kissing them, following them to the ladies' room, and making several inappropriate and/or sexually suggestive comments toward them, (Obuch) demeaned the judicial office, demonstrated disrespect for the judiciary, his inability to conform his conduct to the high standards of conduct expected of judges, and displayed poor judgment,” the complaint states.

Obuch, 57, posted pictures of naked women on several accounts and “made inappropriate comments on their photos and responded to their explicit, vulgar and sexual comments and questions.”

The ACJC also alleges that Obuch was seen on his own X-Account (formerly Twitter) in November 2023 “embracing a porn actress at an Exxxotica convention.” The lawsuit alleges that the judge is “acquainted with the actress” and is a subscriber to her OnlyFans account.

“By his conduct in public interactions with adult entertainment personalities and/or commenting on their photographs, as well as posting comments that contained vulgarity, lewdness, explicit sexual references, and nudity, (Obuch) demonstrated poor judgment and disrespect for the judiciary, as well as an inability to conform to the high standards of conduct expected of judges,” the complaint states.”

His X account seems to have been deleted.

The complaint also alleges that his law firm's website contains references to his status as a district court judge, as do some of his personal social media pages. Obuch's Facebook page appears to have been deleted.

Obuch has been a judge since 2002.

According to court records, despite the presence of judges and police officers at the Christmas party, no summons was issued for public drunkenness or assault.

Presiding Judge of the Municipal Court, Cassandra A. Corbett, declined to comment on the complaint. No one answered the phone at Obuch's law office on Wednesday afternoon.

The panel could recommend a public admonition, reprimand, censure, suspension or expulsion from the court. By filing the complaint, the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct has already decided against disciplining the judge privately. The final decision on discipline rests with the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Gary Wilcox, a criminal judge in Bergen County, is accused of creating obscene, racist and sexually explicit TikTok videos. Wilcox admitted to creating and posting about 40 playback videos on TikTok, some of them while he was in his courtroom in his judge's robe, walking through the Bergen County Courthouse and lying partially undressed in his bed. He used the pseudonym “Sal Tortorella.” However, he says he did not know they would be available to the public and claimed many of them were “taken out of context.”