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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.
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