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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA 30-day suspension without pay begins next week for Marion Superior Traffic Judge William Young.
The Indiana Supreme Court issued a decision today in the disciplinary case of In The Matter of William E. Young, No. 49S00-1007-JD-374, a procedural step after the court imposed the penalty on Nov. 23, 2010, when the judge and Indiana Judicial Qualifications Commission reached a settlement. Justices then took nearly three months to issue this ruling that sets a date and outlines the rationale.
Judge Young is being disciplined for routinely imposing substantially higher penalties against traffic court litigants who chose to have trials and lost and demonstrating a bias and impatience against litigants while on the bench.
Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard concurred in result, but wrote, “I would expect that in the absence of a settlement, this case should have resulted in a lengthier suspension. The per curiam understates the willfulness of the Respondent’s conduct and the damage it has done to the public standing of the judiciary. Fortunately, the overwhelming number of Indiana’s judicial officers strive demonstratably toward a much higher standard. Still, as in other litigation settings, there is much to be said for the benefits of settlement, so I have joined in approving the agreement tendered by the parties.”
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