03112003 - News Article - Criminal judge reports backlog of cases is cleaned up - High court will decide if further intervention is needed

Criminal judge reports backlog of cases is cleaned up
High court will decide if further intervention is needed
NWI Times
Mar 11, 2003
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/state-and-regional/criminal-judge-reports-backlog-of-cases-is-cleaned-up/article_8e8fb080-f685-5108-8321-c7ef0e18df41.html

CROWN POINT -- A local judge has told the Indiana Supreme Court she has successfully picked up and straightened her courtroom.

David Remondini, a spokesman for the Supreme Court, said Monday they have received a report from Lake Criminal Court Judge Joan Kouros in which she said she has complied with its orders to work through a backlog of 376 case files that had collected in her chambers unfinished.

He said copies of her report now will be circulated to the justices. "They will meet to discuss it in the next couple of weeks," Remondini said.

Kouros reported to the Supreme Court on March 4, two days before the high court's deadline, that she had reduced hundreds of pre- and post-trial decisions and orders to writing and sent them to the clerk's office where they are available for public viewing.

Her report, made public Monday, states all minimum standards for completing such paperwork "... has been and will continue to be followed."

She wrote she has a dictation machine for recording orders that her staff will transcribe and that she now maintains a log of court cases that records the date of a case file's arrival in court and its departure back to the clerk.

Kouros couldn't be reached Monday afternoon for comment.

The Supreme Court ordered the cleanup last January after complaints that she continued to hold on to hundreds of public records weeks and months after she had ruled on the cases.

It was the second time in two years she had come under scrutiny from the high court, which raised fears about overcrowding in the County Jail because of delays in getting court orders to transfer convicts to state prison. Kouros said last year those concerns were exaggerated.

Chief Justice Randall Shepard said last year Kouros had more or less reneged on an earlier promise made to clean up the mess and there would be "further action" by the high court if the situation is not addressed to the court's satisfaction.

Kouros in her report asked the high court to reconsider its strict rules on her deadlines for having files completed and back to the clerk. She said confusion over how long she holds a file may occur because the clerk does not routinely stamp the date the file returned to the clerk's office in a timely manner.

03062003 - News Article - Deadline today for Judge Kouros to clear backlog - She's ordered to set up procedures to prevent further delays of cases

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09242017 - News Article Links - Disparity of justice: Comparison of Magistrate James Johnson's and Judge Joan Kouros' judicial investigations - Backlog of court cases

Deadline today for Judge Kouros to clear backlog 
She's ordered to set up procedures to prevent further delays of cases
Post-Tribune
March 6, 2003
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.proxy.portagelibrary.info/resources/doc/nb/news/0FF67C1C1D45D92E?p=AWNB
Today is the deadline for Lake Superior Court Judge Joan Kouros to have complied with an Indiana Supreme Court order to deal with a backlog of cases in her court.

By today, Kouros was to have returned about 385 cases checked out by her court to the criminal division of the Lake County clerk's office.

The Supreme Court issued the order on Jan. 17 after it found that an unreasonable delay existed in Kouros' court in processing cases.

Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard issued a stern order directing Kouros to immediately implement practices to prevent further delays of cases in her court.

Division supervisor Sylvia Brown says it appears that the judge is complying with the order.

On Feb. 5, about 185 cases were still in Kouros' court, but that number has steadily declined to 87 as of Feb. 24, with 37 being part of her daily court call.

"She is complying with the Supreme Court order," Brown said Wednesday.

Kouros did not return calls seeking comment.

David J. Remondini, counsel to Shepard, said the Supreme Court is awaiting a report from Kouros that's due today.

While the judge may be complying with one portion of the order, she may not be following through with another part.

A section of the order calls for cases checked out to be returned within 48 hours.

But one case involving murder defendant Lamarr Ricketts of Gary was checked out by Kouros' court on Feb. 19 and had not been returned as of Wednesday.

Ricketts was sentenced nearly a week ago by Kouros to 92 years in prison for the murder of former Indiana University Northwest professor Silas "Bill" May.

Prior to the recent improvements in dealing with the backlog problem, Kouros had developed a reputation for keeping hundreds of file cases in her courtroom and chambers, a majority of which awaited rulings or orders for defendants, some of whom are held in the Lake County Jail.

The other three criminal court judges return file cases back to the clerk's office, often within one day of a court hearing.

The Supreme Court became aware of the situation in January 2001, and directed the criminal court judges to determine if a backlog existed and take steps to correct it.

The judges learned that about 300 cases had been checked out by Kouros and not returned. By February 2002, the criminal division judges collectively reported that all of the open cases had been resolved.

But a follow-up review in October showed that about 200 case files had gone to hearing or trial but were still awaiting orders and entries in the docket and had yet to be returned to the clerk's office.

Officials found numerous yellow "Post-It'' notes affixed to case files, but they were not officially recorded in the record.

And, despite the criminal division judges' contention that a new system had been put in place by Kouros, the review by the Supreme Court found it had not been.

Although a backlog problem may exist in Kouros' courtroom, she is generally viewed as a stern, fair and hard-working judge.