Judge or comic: Court to rule on NJ man’s two professions

NJ's comic judge: Vince A. Sicari, a South Hackensack, N.J., municipal judge, performs at Carolines on Broadway comedy club Monday in New York. IMAGE

AP Photo: Frank Franklin II. NJ's comic judge: Vince A. Sicari, a South Hackensack, N.J., municipal judge, performs at Carolines on Broadway comedy club Monday in New York. IMAGE

2/26/13 By Samantha Henry

The New Jersey Supreme Court is going to begin the process of deciding whether Vince Sicari can be both a judge and stand-up comedian, or if he has to give one up.

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey's Supreme Court is considering whether a municipal court judge can continue to work as a stand-up comic.

A state ethics board has said Vince Sicari should be barred from comedy work. An attorney defending that decision says the characters he depicts could confuse the public and reflect badly on the judiciary.

Sicari's attorney says the South Hackensack judge keeps both professions separate and does comedy work to supplement his part-time income.

AP Photo: Frank Franklin II. NJ's comic judge: Vince Sicari’s attorney says his client does comedy work to supplement his part-time income. IMAGE

Sicari has a successful career as a stand-up comic under the name Vince August, appearing on network television and as a warm-up for "The Colbert Report."

The arguments Tuesday before the Supreme Court in Trenton focused on roles Sicari has played on the ABC show "What Would You Do?" Sicari has depicted several racist or homophobic characters on the hidden camera show.

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