Abuse of law rampant in NY's village and town courts

A series by William Glaberson of The New York Times exposes the gross abuse of power by "part-times justices" across the state of New York. The New York Times did a one-year investigation of these town and village courts presided over by judges who have no legal pedigree - including some with no more than a high school education. "Officially a part of the state court system, yet financed by the towns and villages, the justice courts are essentially unsupervised by either. State court officials know little about the justices, and cannot reliably say how many cases they handle or how many are appealed. Even the agency charged with disciplining them, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, is not equipped to fully police their vast numbers... people have often been denied fundamental legal rights. Defendants have been jailed illegally. Others have been subjected to racial and sexual bigotry so explicit it seems to come from some other place and time."