Judge pro tem appointed to Crawford Circuit Court
A new senior judge will take the bench in place of suspended Crawford Circuit Judge Sabrina R. Bell next week.
Judicial Discipline
Articles
Crawford Co. judge Bell arrested for allegedly battering ex-husband in front of kids, suspended with pay
An embattled southern Indiana judge involved in a 2019 brawl-turned-shooting in Indianapolis was arrested Thursday on a felony charge for allegedly hitting her ex-husband in front of their children and has been suspended from the bench.
Former Adams Co. judge banned from judicial service for life following campaign-related misconduct
A former Adams County Drug Court judge has been banned from judicial service in Indiana for life after violating judicial conduct rules related to his failed 2020 reelection campaign.
Former Adams Co. judge Miller faces discipline charges related to judicial campaign
The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications has filed disciplinary charges against a former Adams County Drug Court judge related to election matters during his time on the bench.
Porter Co. judge receives public admonition for bond modifications
Porter Superior Judge Christopher Buckley received a public admonition Monday for actions related to his service as a town court judge, when he modified several defendants’ bonds without giving them notice or without a motion from the prosecution.
Meiring officially named to head of Disciplinary Commission
The longtime leader of Indiana’s judicial ethics body is now officially the executive director of the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission.
Former magistrate banned from bench gets 180-day suspension for probation violations
A former Hamilton County magistrate who was banned from the bench and put on disciplinary probation after being convicted in a drug sting has been suspended from the practice of law in Indiana for 180 days without automatic reinstatement.
Former magistrate banned from the bench now suspended for ignoring show-cause order
The former Hamilton County magistrate who is banned from the bench following his conviction related to a drug sting is now suspended from practicing law after he failed to respond to a show cause order alleging probation violations.
Justices move to further discipline ex-Hamilton County judge
A Hamilton County magistrate judge who was removed from the bench after he was convicted of meth possession resulting from a law enforcement sting operation faces additional discipline for an alleged violation of his professional probation.
Judge convicted after meth sting barred from bench, suspended
A Hamilton County judge who purchased meth from an informant in a sting operation then bit the thumb of an officer who tried to stop the jurist from swallowing the evidence has been barred from holding judicial office but may continue to conditionally practice law after a 90-day suspension.
Clark County judges, including 1 involved in Indy shooting, projected to lose
A Clark County judge who was suspended for his involvement in a drunken Indianapolis brawl that ended with his and a fellow judge’s shooting trailed in his reelection bid, as did another judge in the southern Indiana county. They were among a handful of Indiana trial court judges facing ouster at the hands of voters.
Hamilton County magistrate judge sentenced in meth case faces discipline
More than 18 months after his arrest on felony charges stemming from a methamphetamine sting, a former Hamilton County magistrate judge also faces a judicial discipline case related to his conduct. Police said that conduct included biting the thumb of an officer who tried to pry a bag of meth from the jurist’s mouth.
Tightrope act: Judges balance social issues, impartiality
Scenes from protests have dominated television screens for months. People of all ages, sizes, races, genders and backgrounds have participated in events calling for an end to racial inequality. But how do judges fit into the mix?
JQC issues guidance on judges participating in marches, social issue events
Indiana judicial officers who want to participate in public events aimed at addressing social issues are allowed to do so, as long as they can in a manner that doesn’t impinge upon the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary, a new advisory opinion from the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications says.
Adams Co. judge receives public reprimand for judicial misconduct
The judge of the Adams County Drug Court has received a public reprimand from the Indiana Supreme Court after being found in violation of four judicial ethics rules related to his dispute with other county officials on behalf of his drug court coordinator.
Defendant in judges shooting case seeks jurists’ cellphone, JQC communications
The man charged with shooting two Indiana judges is seeking to bolster his self-defense claim by asking for four judges’ cellphone records and their communications with the Indiana Judicial Qualifications Commission related to the incident for which three judges were briefly suspended after the commission investigated and filed disciplinary charges against them.
Adams County drug court judge abused office, discipline charges say
A northeastern Indiana judge who intervened on behalf of an employee of his drug court in a dispute with other county officials over her benefits committed judicial misconduct, an agency of the Indiana Supreme Court alleged Friday.
Trial date postponed for alleged gunman in judges shooting
A trial that had been scheduled to begin next Monday has been continued until mid-April for the alleged gunman who plans to claim self-defense in the shooting of two southern Indiana judges last year.
Clark Circuit Judge Adams apologizes for fight that led to his shooting
A southern Indiana judge is apologizing for a May 1 fight outside an Indianapolis fast-food restaurant during which he and another judge were shot and seriously wounded. The apology comes as Judge Andrew Adams is seeking re-election after pleading guilty to battery for his role in a shooting in which he and a fellow Clark Circuit judge were seriously injured.
2 judges back on bench following fight-related suspensions
Two southern Indiana judges are back on the bench after completing their suspensions for a downtown Indianapolis fight and double-shooting that followed a night of bar hopping. Clark Circuit Judge Brad Jacobs and Crawford Circuit Judge Sabrina Bell were reinstated to the bench Monday following 30-day suspensions that took effect Nov. 22.