Vincenzo Sicari’s career as a judge came to an end Thursday as the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that his performances at comedy clubs and on television in his alter ego, Vince August, could cast the judiciary in a bad light.

“To be sure, the routines are designed to be funny,” the court said. “We must acknowledge, however, that many regard the maxim ‘many a true word is said in jest’ as a fundamental truth.”