The Ultimate Tough Crowd

Rodney Dangerfield – who complained his entire career about getting no respect – has nothing on Vince August, aka the Honorable Vince A. Sicari. Sicari is a Municipal Judge in New Jersey, but he has a part time job – he’s a stand up comedian by the name of Vince August. I tried to find some footage of him in action, but this was as close as I got: Video.

Seems like a harmless enough diversion. And he’s had some success – he’s warmed up the Colbert Report audience before Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s appearance on the show. But the New Jersey Advisory Committee on Extrajudicial Activities says he needs to knock it off. According to this apparently humorless group of wise guys (Probably shouldn’t use that term when talking about any group from Jersey.) Sicari’s moonlighting could “negatively affect the dignity of the Judiciary.” In New Jersey. I’m not making this up. It’s hard for me to see how Sicari’s work onstage would have any impact on his role as a judge. I suppose if someone heckled him in a club and then wound up in front of him that could be a problem, but judges recuse themselves in the face of conflicts all the time. I think this could be worked out. I hope the New Jersey Supreme Court lets the show go on. And I hope the New Jersey Advisory Committee on Extrajudicial Activities learns how to take a joke.