A second-generation Manhattan judge whose dad was infamous for springing criminal defendants on low bail was demoted after repeatedly clashing with Manhattan prosecutors, even cursing one out in open court, The Post has learned.
Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Wright was shipped off to Queens — and banished to Family Court, one of the lowest rungs of the judiciary — following a testy run in Manhattan Criminal Court.
The humiliating move was the result of an official complaint from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., sources said.
Wright — son of the late “Cut ‘Em Loose Bruce” Wright — faces a significantly more challenging commute from his co-op in Harlem to the nondescript Family Court in Jamaica than to the iconic lower Manhattan courthouse at 60 Centre St.
That’s especially bad news for Wright, who’s also already proven he has trouble behind the wheel — by twice suing the city after getting slapped with separate tickets for driving in a bus lane and illegal parking.
Court transcripts obtained by The Post show that during a series of Nov. 11 arraignments, Wright repeatedly refused requests by prosecutors to have defendants detail their crimes by making a formal admission of guilt known as an “allocution.”
At one point, Wright engaged in a foul-mouthed exchange over a petit-larceny case.
“Before we complete this, can we have this defendant legally and factually allocuted?” Assistant District Attorney David O’Keefe asked.
“Who is the a–hole that came up with this idea?” Wright then fumed.
“Your Honor, I believe it was the Constitution,” O’Keefe answered.
“No, it was not. Trust me, it was not. Some pettifogging academic wanted to waste people’s time,” Wright said.
At the time of his potty-mouthed rant, Wright was assigned to handle civil cases but was working a Veterans Day shift handling criminal arraignments.
All Supreme Court justices are required to work two or three such shifts a year, while Family Court judges are not.
Wright openly grumbled about performing the duty, a colleague said, and sources said he was demoted shortly after the New Year for causing disorder in the court.
The Manhattan DA’s Office wouldn’t comment. A spokesman for the state Unified Court System insisted Wright’s reassignment was routine.
“Judicial personnel are frequently moved around to meet court staffing needs,” spokesman Lucian Chalfen said.
Wright didn’t return a message seeking comment, but his brother, Manhattan Democratic chairman and ex-Assemblyman Keith Wright, told The Post: “If there’s one thing my brother knows, it’s the law.”
Keith Wright, who didn’t seek re-election last year, recently came under fire for joining a high-powered lobbying firm, with one government watchdog calling it “the worst of Albany culture.”
Additional reporting by Carl Campanile