A judge in upstate New York who pointed a loaded handgun at a Black man during a 2015 court hearing was removed from office, the Associated Press reports.

The state’s highest court affirmed the state Commission on Judicial Conduct’s recommendation to remove Justice Robert J. Putorti who served as a judge in the Whitehall Town and Village Court. He was described as having, “exploited a classic and common racist trope that Black men are inherently threatening or dangerous, exhibiting bias or, at least, implicit bias.”

During the hearing, Putorti reportedly pointed the gun at the defendant because he walked up to the stand to quickly, the AP says, which crossed a stop line for litigants. He later described the man as 6 feet 9 inches tall and “built like a football player.” In reality, he was 6 feet tall and 165 lbs.

Following the incident, Putorti’s lack of remorse was a major contributing factor to his dismissal.

According to the New York State Court of Appeals, Putorti boasted about the incident and “repeatedly emphasized the race and stature of the litigant” saying to another judge that the man was 6 feet 9 inches tall and “built like a football player.” Per the decision, the defendant was only 6 feet tall and weighed 183 pounds.

Putorti was also involved in prohibited fundraising events to benefit the Elks Lodge, where he was an officer, while he was being investigated for the gun episode.

Although Putorti’s participation in the fundraising was not illegal, the timing of it further displayed a consistent pattern of his “unwillingness or inability to abide by the Rules of Judicial Conduct” the decision read.

Robert H. Tembeckjian, an administrator for the state’s Commission on Judicial Conduct, issued a statement denouncing Putorti’s reckless behavior.

“It is indefensible and inimical to the role of a judge to brandish a loaded weapon in court, without provocation or justification, then brag about it repeatedly with irrelevant racial remarks,” Tembeckjian said. “The Court’s ruling today makes clear that there is no place on the bench for one who behaves this way.”

“We have never had a situation other than this case, where a judge — with or without justification — pointed a gun at a litigant in a courthouse,” Tembeckjian continued.

Putorti was licensed to carry the firearm and would keep the gun attached to the underside of the bench while he presided over cases. He also is the owner of a gun and ammunition store, Bigboy’s Guns, in Whitehall.

The Commission on Judicial Conduct first recommended that Putorti be dismissed last year, but he appealed the recommendation. His case was heard by the Court of Appeals last month.

Since October 2022, Putorti has been suspended with pay.