Court Forces Judge to Pick Between Gavel, Comedy

(Newser) – Vince Sicari just did the most dangerous thing in show biz: Quit his day job. New Jersey's Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Sicari can't moonlight as a comedian and still be a judge, and given the choice, Sicari turned in his gavel. "I'm not surprised by the result, but I'm very disappointed," he tells the AP. "I take great pride in being a judge."

The court's opinion noted that Sicari, who performs as Vince August, "has demeaned certain people based on national origin and religion and has revealed his political leanings" in his comedy bits, raising the "distinct possibility" that a defendant could question his objectivity. A state ethics board first suggested Sicari drop one of his professions in 2008, after seeing him play homophobic and racist characters on ABC's What Would You Do?