New Jersey Superior Court Judge Gary Wilcox didn’t just use his court chambers to practice law, a newly filed complaint states. They were also the backdrop for videos Wilcox allegedly posted to a TikTok account, where he lip-synced provocative lines of pop and hip-hop music.

In one video, Wilcox holds cash and pretends to light a match in his chambers while lip-syncing lines from “Sure Thing” by R&B singer Miguel, according to the complaint.

In another, he allegedly lip-syncs to the Rihanna song “Jump,” which samples lyrics from Ginuwine’s 1996 hit “Pony,” miming: “If you want it, let’s do it. Ride it, my pony. My saddle is waitin’, come and jump on it.”

The lip-sync videos — a popular genre on TikTok — featured inappropriate lyrics referencing violence, sex and misogyny, the complaint alleged. Other videos featured Wilcox partially dressed and lying in bed, according to the complaint.

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They were racy enough that they brought disrepute to the New Jersey judiciary, the Supreme Court’s advisory committee on judicial conduct said in a formal complaint Friday that accused Wilcox of misconduct.

Wilcox, 58, has served in the New Jersey Superior Court since 2011. He still held his position overseeing criminal cases in the Bergen County district as of Friday, the complaint states. He could face a range of discipline, from a reprimand to removal, according to the New Jersey Courts website. Robert Hille, a lawyer representing Wilcox, said he does not believe the videos reflect any ill intent.

“Hindsight is 20-20,” Hille said.

Wilcox posted the videos on a public TikTok account under the alias “Sal Tortorella,” according to the complaint.

He made and posted 40 videos between April 2021 and March 2023 and appeared to attract a modest following, according to the complaint, which referred to a post Wilcox made celebrating reaching 100 followers.

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Eleven of Wilcox’s videos were judged by the committee to be inappropriate for featuring lyrical references to violence, sex and misogyny; showing Wilcox’s chambers and the courthouse; or including Wilcox wearing his robes or being partially dressed.

The songs Wilcox played in his videos included Nas’s “Get Down,” which describes a shooting in a courtroom, and “Touch It,” by Busta Rhymes, which graphically describes a sex act, according to the complaint.

“By his conduct in posting these and similar videos to TikTok, [Wilcox] exhibited poor judgment and demonstrated disrespect for the Judiciary,” the complaint states.

Hille said that the artists Wilcox featured in his videos are mainstream performers, and that enjoying music did not imply condoning everything described in a song’s lyrics.

The advisory committee on judicial conduct accused Wilcox of violating the court’s standards of conduct, giving off the appearance of impropriety and conducting extrajudicial activities that demeaned the office. Wilcox will face a hearing once he files an answer to the charges made by the committee, which Hille said he was preparing.

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