Judge Philippe Solages won't face administrative action after probe, court official says

No administrative action will be taken against a Nassau County judge who sources told Newsday was investigated for asking a Muslim defendant to remove a religious garment during a plea hearing last year, a court spokesperson said.

Acting Supreme Court Justice Philippe Solages, who had been assigned to criminal matters in Nassau County, is now handling civil court cases, Al Baker, director of communications for the New York State Office of Court Administration, said in a Nov. 15 statement.

"The matter has been fully investigated and it has been determined that no administrative action is warranted," Baker’s statement reads. "As previously advised, assignment decisions are made in the discretion of the Office of Court Administration. Justice Solages is currently assigned a full inventory of civil matters."

In a statement, Solages said he vehemently denies the allegations against him.

The review began in January 2023 after sources told Newsday Solages told an attorney for the woman, who wears a niqab — a garment that covers most of her face — she had to remove the covering because he needed to verify her identity.

The attorney for the woman explained that it would go against her religious custom to show her face to the judge, the sources said.

Responding to a Newsday inquiry about the incident last year, a spokesperson for the state court said the "conduct of a judge assigned to criminal matters in Nassau County is being investigated after a correspondence raising concerns about the judge was received by Nassau County Administrative Judge Vito M. DeStefano."

Officials with the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, which represented the woman, declined to comment.

A New York Court of Claims judge serving as an acting Supreme Court justice, Solages previously worked as a criminal defense attorney and an election lawyer and began his career as a prosecutor with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, according to an online biography.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.