06162004 - News Article - EDITORIALS - Yet another last chance - The issue: Lake Criminal Court Judge Joan Kouros - Our opinion: If she cannot do the job, she should not be on the bench

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EDITORIALS - Yet another last chance
The issue: Lake Criminal Court Judge Joan Kouros
Our opinion: If she cannot do the job, she should not be on the bench
NWI Times
Jun 16, 2004
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/yet-another-last-chance/article_00582ae0-a771-5f51-9100-d8f910c0d969.html
Lake Criminal Court Judge Joan Kouros got one more last chance to keep her job when a panel of state judges declined to recommend her removal from the bench.

Just how many more last chances will she be given? How many more should she be given?

The three judges from Evansville, Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, appointed by the state Supreme Court to examine her job performance, issued a damming opinion documenting her problems and her failure to correct them. They found that in at least 40 criminal cases, Kouros failed to return written summaries of her decisions to the court clerk's office within 48 hours, as required by the Supreme Court. In two cases, police could not act to arrest accused criminals because of her delay, according to the judges. They found a return to "substantial disorder" in her offices and on her bench in March.

They also cited the mitigating circumstances of her suffering from multiple sclerosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression. But her doctors said that with proper care and treatment, her health issues should not interfere with her ability to do her job.

By not making a recommendation, the three judges appear to have sidestepped their mandate, which was to decide whether to discipline her and how. They were told to recommend her removal from the bench.

Kouros was given warnings and detailed instructions two years ago on how to manage her paperwork. When she failed to comply, the high court suspended her for six months last year.

Kouros is not home free yet, however. The Judicial Qualifications Commission, which prosecutes judicial misconduct, soon could recommend her suspension until the Supreme Court issues a final verdict on her judicial career.

If she cannot do the job, she should not be on the bench. She should be the first to admit that. She also should not be ashamed of getting treatment for her health problems.

In the end, the justices of the Indiana Supreme Court will have the final say. Their decision should be based on maintaining public confidence in the judiciary and keeping the court running smoothly.