Acting State Supreme Court Judge Fernando Camacho appointed to judicial conduct panel

A Suffolk judge has accepted an appointment to a state commission that polices the actions of the judiciary because he says he believes the public has to have confidence in the integrity of judges.

Acting State Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho will serve a term on the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct that lasts until early 2024, the commission said Wednesday while announcing his appointment.

"I love the justice system and if the public doesn't have confidence in the integrity of its judges, then the whole system collapses and it doesn't work. I've devoted my entire career to the justice system and we can't let that happen," Camacho, 60, said in an interview.

New York Chief Judge Janet DiFiore chose Camacho for the role. He will be one of 11 commission members, all who serve without pay. The governor appoints four members, the chief judge appoints three members and the four leaders of the state legislature each appoint one member.

The body reviews complaints against judges related to alleged misconduct and disability — meaning whether a judge is medically fit for duty. The commission can publicly discipline those found to have committed misconduct or compel those unfit for duty to step down.

Camacho began serving on the bench in Suffolk in 2013, after previously presiding over criminal matters as a judge in New York City from 1997 to 2012.

The Fordham University School of Law graduate started his legal career in 1985 at the Manhattan district attorney's office, where he prosecuted cases involving homicide and other crimes. He also worked as private practice attorney for two years before becoming a judge.

In Suffolk County Court, Camacho has presided in high-profile cases that recently have included the trial of Thomas Murphy, who was convicted in 2019 of killing Boy Scout Andrew McMorris while driving drunk, and the 2020 trial of nurse Ann Marie Drago.

The Patchogue woman is awaiting sentencing after her criminally negligent homicide conviction in the 2018 death of anti-gang activist Evelyn Rodriguez.