The judge called out in a city probe of ex-District Attorney Charles Hynes for impropriety in giving Hynes political advice will be back on the bench in Queens next week earning his $174,000 a year salary, a court spokesman said.
Barry Kamins was chief administrator for the New York City Criminal Court until the Department of Investigations report was released last month. He is currently under investigation by the Commission on Judicial Conduct, sources said.
“He’ll be a Supreme Court judge sitting in the civil term,” confirmed David Bookstaver, spokesman for the Office of Court Administration.
OCA removed Kamins – who was also chief of planning and policy for the state courts before the DOI report – from both of his administrative roles when the report was released, but doesn’t have authority to strip him of his robes.
That would only happen if the Commission on Judicial Conduct removes him from the bench.
The 27-page DOI report ripped into Kamins, saying he wrongly “engaged in political activity by a sitting judge.”
Kamins improperly gave Hynes campaign advice, communicated with Hynes on cases being prosecuted by the DA’s office, and even provided Hynes with legal advice, the report states.
Hynes is now under investigation by state and federal prosecutors over allegations in the report that he used asset forfeiture money to pay a political consultant.
In one funny email exchange, Kamins even joked to Hynes about buying two lunches for New York Times editorial board member Dorothy Samuels.
“I should get the Times endorsement which is really the only opinion page that matters,” Hynes wrote in a January 10, 2013 email to Kamins.
“Has Dorothy confirmed for our lunch?” Kamins wrote back.
“She hasn’t returned Joanna’s call. I’m sure it will happen,” Hynes wrote.
“Tell her she can have two entrees,” wrote Kamins, who used vacation time for the days between the release of the report and the beginning of his Queens assignment.
Kamins’ defense attorney Paul Shechtman declined to comment.