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Many back Judge Kouros
Prominent lawyers come to her defense against Supreme Court
Post-Tribune
June 15, 2003
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.proxy.portagelibrary.info/resources/doc/nb/news/0FF66D2FADCF9BAD?p=AWNB
As Monday's deadline looms for Lake Superior Court Criminal Division Judge Joan Kouros to submit her response telling the Indiana Supreme Court why she should not be removed as judge, backers are lining up to offer support.
Several letters of support from attorneys who appear before Kouros have made their way to Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard asking that Kouros remain as judge, including one from an elected official.
They include major legal names such as Frederick Work, Thomas Vanes, Willie Harris, Garry Weiss, David Schneider, Samuel Cappas, Darnail Lyles and Lemuel Stigler to name a few.
All of the letters were provided by the Indiana Supreme Court to the Post-Tribune upon request.
State Rep. Robert D. Kuzman, D-Crown Point, states in his letter that Kouros is an excellent judge who has dealt with the problem of a backlog of cases.
"She is competent, compassionate, and treats all attorneys and defendants with respect and patience," Kuzman writes. "Judge Kouros is a most capable judge. I am confident that she will be able to resolve her case load if given more time."
Valparaiso attorney Larry Rogers states in his letter that Kouros' character and abilities are being maligned and she is being treated unfairly by the local press and a few vocal members of the local bar.
"She has been criticized for being overly concerned with details and I have been subjected, on occasion, to her penchant for accuracy. In my opinion, she is a perfectionist and demands a high level of competency from those that appear before her," Rogers stated.
Even former Indiana Attorney General Karen Freeman-Wilson, who came up short in her bid for Gary mayor in May, is supporting Kouros.
Freeman-Wilson cited her time with Kouros when both were deputy prosecutors in Lake County, and when Kouros was her pro tem when Freeman-Wilson was Gary City Judge.
"Throughout our professional association, I have been awed by her intellect, dedication, compassion, sense of fairness, perseverance and attention to detail," Freeman-Wilson states in her letter. "I believe that her aspiration towards perfection has been the greatest contribution to the current challenges in her court."
Last month, in a rare move, the Indiana Supreme Court Division of State Court Administration issued a petition requiring Kouros to show why a judge pro tem should not be appointed to her courtroom.
The petition cited Kouros' repeated violations of the Supreme Court's order demanding that she deal more effectively with a serious backlog of cases in her courtroom.
The petition followed the high court's last inspection of Kouros' courtroom on April 21 that showed proof that she had not been complying with its order from January 2001 requiring her to return files to the Lake County clerk's office within 48 hours.
Although she is regarded as a fair and stern judge, she had become known for having hundreds of case files in her courtroom, chambers and office for weeks at a time, which prevented public inspection.
The Supreme Court also noted that Kouros failed to record motions for defendants that came before her, delaying transfers to other facilities or providing services.
In one case, a person was arrested last October on a warrant that was canceled in August but was not recorded by Kouros.
Another example showed that Kouros failed to remand an East Chicago man following a conviction as a habitual offender in October. The man was released and committed another crime while out.
All of the violations came after Kouros agreed to implement a new system of processing cases.
One outspoken critic of Kouros is Lake County Deputy Prosecutor John Burke, who has sparred in the past year with the judge over cases that he has handled before her.
Burke has said in recent interviews that Kouros should step down because the job of being judge overwhelms her.
"I think that part of Judge Joan Kouros' problem is a problem that a lot of us have: We'd rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism. The measure of success is not whether you have tough problems to deal with, but whether it's the same problems you had last year," Burke, a 30-year veteran prosecutor who is highly regarded by prosecutors and defense attorneys alike, said last week.
In a surprising move of support, Lake Superior Court Criminal Division Senior Judge Thomas Stefaniak said he and Juvenile Division Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura have offered to serve as mentors to Judge Kouros.
David Remondini, who serves as counsel to the chief justice, said it will be up to Randall to decide how the letters of support for Kouros will play in the decision as to what will ultimately happen to her.
Kouros did not return calls seeking comment.
Indianapolis attorney Kevin McGroff, who is representing Kouros, said the response will be submitted by Monday's deadline and all of the Supreme Court's concerns will be addressed.
Kouros was appointed to the bench in 1997 by then-Gov. Evan Bayh. Kouros became the first woman to serve as judge in the criminal division.
It is not known when the Supreme Court will decide whether Kouros will remain on the bench.
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