05232003 - News Article - Kouros faces June 4 deadline for removal - Judge is to tell state Supreme Court why she shouldn't be removed

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Kouros faces June 4 deadline for removal 
Judge is to tell state Supreme Court why she shouldn't be removed
Post-Tribune (IN)
May 23, 2003
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.proxy.portagelibrary.info/resources/doc/nb/news/0FF67C9374010F55?p=AWNB
The state Supreme Court is waiting to hear from Lake Superior Court Judge Joan Kouros.

The high court, in an order issued Wednesday, set a June 4 deadline for Kouros to show why she should not be removed from the bench.

Kouros, who six years ago became the first woman appointed to serve as a judge in the superior court's criminal division, is under fire for repeated violations of orders to reduce a serious backlog of cases in her courtroom.

The Supreme Court is expected to decide whether to appoint a judge pro tem after it gets Kouros' answer or the deadline expires.

Kouros, 42, did not return telephone calls from the Post-Tribune on Thursday.

An on-site review by state officials in April revealed that Kouros had 171 case files piled up in her courtroom, chambers and office.

A judge, according to the Indiana Supreme Court Division of State Court Administration, should have no more than 80 case files checked out at one time.

The April inspection further revealed that Kouros had failed to follow a Supreme Court order from January requiring her to return 120 of the case files to the Lake County court clerk's office.

Records of the clerk office indicated that five of the case files were marked "unable to locate."

The case file backlog, according to state officials, has resulted in inmates spending more time in the Lake County Jail than required because Kouros failed to issue sentencing orders.

The Supreme Court became aware of Kouros' backlog problem in January 2001.

All four of the judges of the Lake Superior Court criminal division were ordered to address the problem.

A month later, the judges filed a report with the Supreme Court stating that Kouros had initiated a new method of transcribing and processing docket entries.

A spot check in October, however, showed the backlog had not been solved and may have grown worse.

Officials from the court administration division found more than 200 files of cases that had gone to trial or hearing in Kouros' courtroom and chamber awaiting orders and entries.