Rochester’s Chief Judge, Craig Doran, Resigns From Role Unexpectedly After 3 Decades Old Racist Photo

A New York State Supreme Court Judge resigned abruptly on Friday morning from an administrative post after a more than three-decades-old racist photo resurfaced recently.

Judge Craig Doran, an administrative judge for New York's Seventh Judicial District in Rochester, has admitted to dressing up as a ''well-known public figure of color'' at a 1988 Halloween party, WHAM in Rochester has reported. Other details, including whom Doran was depicting, is unclear.

Meanwhile, the Democrat and Chronicle reports a photo of Doran in costume at that party was recently presented two a pair of top judges in the New York State Unified Court System, who instructed Doran that he should immediately stop down from his position as a 'chief supervisory judge' for all courts in the Seventh District's eight-county region, a position he's held for a decade:

Lucian Chalfen, spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration, said New York Chief Judge Janet DiFiore and Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks of the state's Unified Court System were alerted to the photo earlier this week.

"We do not comment directly on personnel matters, however, when the Chief Judge and Chief Administrative Judge were made aware of the photo, immediate action was taken," Chalfen wrote in an email.

Doran, also an elected New York State Supreme Court Justice, indicated in a three paragraph that while he was vacating the supervisory position, but intended to continue serving in his elected role. Via the Democrat and Chronicle:

"I am deeply sorry for my decision to appear in this manner," Doran wrote in the statement. "I did not comprehend at the time the hurtful nature of my actions. I know now that an act of this nature is considered to be racist. I can assure you that this event in 1988 in no way reflects my beliefs and principles."

The 56-year-old's statement also asked for forgiveness from 'those who have been hurt by this', and from those who have the time to 'educated me about the hurt my actions caused.'