Opinion ID: 2144178
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The first set of charges

Text: The charges filed under Cause No. 09S00-9606-JD-441 pertain to Respondent's conduct toward a criminal defendant (C.H.) appearing in Cass Superior Court. C.H. was charged in 1994 with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, a class A misdemeanor. Before the commencement of her trial, Respondent engaged C.H. in a dialogue about her demand for a jury trial. Respondent warned C.H. that he would apply different sentencing guidelines if she was convicted after a jury trial than he would apply if she accepted a plea or a bench trial. C.H. nevertheless went forward with a jury trial. The jury returned a guilty verdict on the charged offense and the cause proceeded to sentencing. The State did not present any information in aggravation, nor does the record reflect the existence of aggravating factors. Respondent imposed a sentence against C.H. of one year of incarceration, with six months suspended. Respondent sentenced C.H. consistent with a sentencing policy he had generally employed since 1987 by which defendants who demanded jury trials and were convicted received lengthier sentences because of their jury demands than did defendants who submitted to bench trial or who pleaded guilty. A critical distinction exists between the appropriate consideration of cooperation and remorse as mitigating circumstances in fashioning a sentence and the inappropriate imposition of an added penalty for the exercise of constitutional rights. Respondent's conduct under these circumstances violated Canons 1, 2, 3B(2), and 3B(9) of the Code of Judicial Conduct. These Canons generally require judges to uphold the integrity of the judiciary, to maintain high standards of conduct, to respect and comply with the law and to act at all times in a manner which promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary, to be faithful to the law, to dispose of all matters fairly, and to avoid conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. This was not, however, the only occasion in which Respondent's path crossed that of this same litigant. In 1990, C.H. hired a Logansport attorney (Attorney) to represent her in a case involving the guardianship of her son. Respondent presided over the guardianship case. In 1993, a dispute arose between C.H. and a local bank concerning the guardianship account at that bank. The Attorney, while still representing C.H., filed in Respondent's court a contempt petition against his client on behalf of the bank. This professional misconduct resulted in a disciplinary grievance initiated by C.H. against the Attorney. Ultimately, in accordance with a conditional agreement reached between the Disciplinary Commission and the Attorney, this Court imposed a private reprimand upon the Attorney for his actions. While the Attorney's disciplinary case was pending, Respondent wrote to the Disciplinary Commission on the Attorney's behalf. In the letter, Respondent said of C.H., It is my impression that [she] will never be satisfied until she has spent every last cent in her son's guardianship account. She has been abusive to my court staff outside of the courtroom and has bordered on being disrespectful of the Court in the courtroom.... [C.H.'s] motivation would appear to be simply greed with little concern for her son's best interests. Three months after Respondent wrote this letter to the Disciplinary Commission, C.H. was charged in his court in the matter which led to the misconduct previously discussed. C.H. was unaware of Respondent's letter or of its contents. Respondent did not disclose to C.H. the fact of his support of the Attorney nor his documented negative impression of her character. As discussed above, C.H. was found guilty and sentenced by Respondent to an executed jail term of six months, which she served. Canons 1, 2, 3B(2), 3B(9), and 3E(1) of the Code of Judicial Conduct generally require judges to uphold the integrity of the judiciary, to maintain high standards of conduct, to respect and comply with the law and to act at all times in a manner which promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary, to be faithful to the law, to dispose of all matters fairly, and to disqualify themselves in proceedings in which their impartiality might reasonably be questioned or to disclose information which the parties might consider relevant to the issue of disqualification. When Respondent failed to either disqualify himself or to disclose to C.H. that he had submitted written materials highly critical of her in support of the attorney who had filed a contempt petition against her, he violated these Canons.