Judge rules gossip must be in English
Published 9:00 pm Thursday, January 17, 2002
Associated Press
PATERSON, N.J. — A city judge told court workers to speak only English at work unless assisting visitors or doing translations.
Court employees said Judge Karole Graves gave the order Tuesday after a clerk complained that co-workers were speaking about her in Spanish. One worker said she agreed it was a problem.
"There are a bunch of girls that, when they huddle together, just speak Spanish. Its very distracting," Barbara Zisa, a deputy court administrator, told the Herald News of West Paterson.
City council member Juan Torres said the order "will create a bad feeling between workers and the administration."
The other Hispanic council member in Paterson, about 20 miles northwest of New York City, disagreed.
"It’s a job, and we are in America," said Jose Torres, who is not related to Juan. "They should comply with the policies of the presiding judge."
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