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The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications has filed three charges of misconduct against former Franklin Circuit Court Judge J. Steven Cox.
The charges filed with the Indiana Supreme Court Thursday say Cox failed to promote public confidence in the judiciary in three situations while he was judge.
The commission accuses him of participating in improper ex parte communication with a defendant at the defendant’s home outside the presence of the attorneys.
He also is accused of investigating facts in a case independently and of maintaining a policy of rejecting all negotiated written plea agreements.
Cox left the bench at the end of last year after losing the election to Judge Alex Dudley. He was first elected to the bench in 1994 and earned his J.D. from Valparaiso University in 1990.
The Indiana Supreme Court has final authority in determining if any judicial misconduct occurred.
The court can dismiss the charges, accept or reject a disciplinary agreement between the commission and Cox, appoint a panel of judges to conduct a public hearing, impose a fine, or impose sanctions ranging from a reprimand to a suspension to a permanent ban on holding judicial office in Indiana.
Cox is being represented by attorney Garrett Bascom, whose office said Bascom was not immediately available for comment.
Cox is allowed to file an answer to the charges within 20 days.
The case is In the Matter of the Honorable J. Steven Cox Judge of Franklin Circuit Court, 25S-JD-80.
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