Judge Stephen C. Robinson has earned a reputation during his five and a half years on the bench at the Brieant Courthouse for a wit that is as sharp as it is quick.

Lawyers appearing before the judge have come to expect the judge’s quips — though to be fair Robinson is at least as likely to jab himself as anyone else. Usually, his able courtroom deputy Brandon Skolnik is his foil.

Today, though, it was defense lawyer Seth Ginsberg who was the target. Ginsberg, along with his co-counsel Charles Carnesi, has confounded federal prosecutors repeatedly in their efforts to nail alleged Gambino Crime Family scion John Gotti Jr. by battling them to a standoff at several trials. He was in White Plains today representing Renata Kuehl, a Patterson woman convicted of bank fraud who stood for sentencing.

Robinson greeted the prosecution team by name and turned to do the same with the defense table. After saying hello to Mr. Ginsberg and Mr. Carnesi, he said good morning to Ms. Ginsberg, mistakenly identifying the defendant before correcting himself.

“That’s my wife,” Ginsberg said, joking about the Mrs. Ginsberg reference.

Without missing a beat, the judge replied:

“She may need to be committed, not sentenced.”