Whistleblowing in NY leads Judge Stuart Namm to NC

Judge Stuart Namm’s years as a whistleblower, exposing what he saw as the failings of the judicial system, were the worst seven years of his life.

“All my life, I just wanted to be a judge,” Namm said. “That was my dream, and it became a nightmare.”

In a speech to students and community activists at the UNC School of Government on Wednesday, Namm spoke of the corruption he saw as a judge in Suffolk County, N.Y., and his recent memoir, “ A Whistleblower’s Lament .”

Namm was a county court judge when he began to realize a pattern of corruption in the district attorney’s office and the county police homicide squad.

He said he believed detectives were perjuring themselves in his courtroom to convict innocent people of crimes.

“I knew I had to do something. I told my wife that I was going to write to the governor and request that a special prosecutor investigate the county’s criminal justice system,” he said.

So began a three-year investigation in which Namm said he went from being one of the police’s favorite judges for his tough approach on crime to being “public enemy No. 1.”

Namm said as a result of the investigation, he was moved to a lower court while the prosecutors and detectives walked away largely unscathed.

After the investigation was closed, Namm and his family moved to North Carolina and he never practiced law again.

“I was bitter,” he said. “I moved to North Carolina because I thought it was a fair state. I don’t see that anymore.”

Namm said as long as judges are picked by parties and their campaigns are funded completely by private donations, the average man does not have a chance at being elected.

“I am afraid we’re facing an oligarchy,” he said. “How does the average person run against millions of dollars?”

Even after his experience, Namm said he would still encourage students to pursue a career in law and politics.

“The people cannot accept it, and only the people can change it. You’ve got to keep your eyes and ears open,” he said.

After being diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer last year, Namm knew he wanted to tell his story.

“I thought I was going to die, and I wasn’t going to die without publishing this book and telling the whole story,” he said.

Namm is currently in remission.

His memoir includes pages of notes that he took during his time on the bench.

“The story is about the courage of a man to step out against the system and stand up to corruption,” Stephen Crotts, a campus minister who attended the speech, said. “He is a man who deserves our attention.”

Katherine Thompson , president-elect of the Carolina Society for Future Leaders, which organized the event, said the judge was invited to share his experiences with students.

“We talk about ethics here at the school and we wanted to hear his perspective from the judicial branch,” she said.

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