Case Title: In the Matter of the Hon. Thomas J. Felts

Citation: 

Docket Number: 02S00-0901-JD-26

State: indiana

Court: Indiana Supreme Court

Date: 2009-03-11T00:00:00Z

Document:
ATTORNEY FOR HON. 
 
 
 
 
 
ATTORNEYS FOR THE COMMISSION  
THOMAS J. FELTS, JUDGE  
 
 
 
 
ON JUDICIAL QUALIFICATIONS  
 
J. Frank Kimbrough 
 
 
 
 
 
Margaret Babcock 
Fort Wayne, Indiana  
 
 
 
 
 
Adrienne L. Meiring 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Indianapolis, Indiana 
 
______________________________________________________________________________ 
 
In the 
Indiana Supreme Court  
 
_________________________________ 
 
No. 02S00-0901-JD-26 
 
IN THE MATTER OF THE HONORABLE 
THOMAS J. FELTS, JUDGE  
IN THE ALLEN CIRCUIT COURT 
 
_________________________________ 
  
JUDICIAL DISCIPLINARY ACTION 
_________________________________ 
 
March 11, 2009 
 
Per Curiam. 
 
This matter comes before the Court as a result of a judicial disciplinary action brought by 
the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications (“Commission”) against Respondent herein, 
Thomas J. Felts, Judge in the Allen Circuit Court.  Article 7, Section 4 of the Indiana 
Constitution and Indiana Admission and Discipline Rule 25 give the Indiana Supreme Court 
original jurisdiction over this matter. 
Subsequent to the filing of formal charges by the Commission, the parties jointly 
tendered a “Statement of Circumstances and Conditional Agreement for Discipline” in which the 
parties have stipulated to the following facts.  On Friday, July 18, 2008, Respondent was arrested 
and subsequently charged in the Marion Superior Court with operating a motor vehicle with an 
alcohol concentration equivalent of at least .15 gram of alcohol per either 100 milliliters of the 
person’s blood or 210 liters of the person’s breath, a Class A misdemeanor, see Ind. Code § 9-
FILED
CLERK
of the supreme court,
court of appeals and
tax court
Mar 11 2009, 2:31 pm
 
 
2 
30-5-1(b), and with Public Intoxication, a Class B misdemeanor, see Ind. Code § 7.1-5-1-3.  
Pursuant to a plea agreement, Respondent pled guilty to the class A misdemeanor charge and the 
State dismissed the remaining charge.  The court sentenced Respondent to one year in the 
Marion County Jail, suspended but for one day served, and to one year of probation.  The court 
accepted additional terms of the plea agreement that included the suspension of Respondent’s 
driver’s license for ninety days, alcohol treatment with a private provider, attendance at a panel 
presentation by Advocates Against Impaired Driving, Inc., and the payment of fines, costs, and 
fees totaling $705.50. 
Respondent and the Commission have agreed that driving with a blood alcohol 
concentration of .15 constitutes a violation of Canons 1(A)1 and 2(A)2 of the Code of Judicial 
Conduct, and that Respondent has violated these Canons.  The parties have also agreed that 
Respondent has cooperated with the Commission throughout these proceedings, and that the 
appropriate sanction under the circumstances of this case is a public reprimand.  The Court 
agrees with the parties. 
Accordingly, Thomas J. Felts, Judge in the Allen Circuit Court, is hereby reprimanded.  
This discipline terminates the disciplinary proceedings relating to the circumstances giving rise 
to this cause.  The costs of this proceeding are assessed against Respondent. 
 
SHEPARD, C.J., and DICKSON, SULLIVAN, BOEHM, and RUCKER, JJ., concur. 
                                                 
1 The version of Canon 1A in existence when Respondent committed these acts states: 
An independent and honorable judiciary is indispensable to justice in our society. A judge 
should participate in establishing, maintaining and enforcing high standards of conduct, 
and shall personally observe those standards in order to preserve the integrity and 
independence of the judiciary. The provisions of this Code are to be construed and 
applied to further that objective. 
Ind. Judicial Conduct Canon 1(A) (Thomson/West 2008). 
2 The version of Canon 2A in existence when Respondent committed these acts states, “A judge shall 
respect and comply with the law and shall act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in 
the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.”  Jud. Canon 2(A).