07162004 - News Article - EDITORIALS - Time to slam gavel down on judge - The issue: Joan Kouros

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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

EDITORIALS - Time to slam gavel down on judge
The issue: Joan Kouros
NWI Times
Jul 16, 2004
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/time-to-slam-gavel-down-on-judge/article_ef0f1ba8-93ee-5ed2-9142-bcd0e48ce344.html
Our opinion: If she cannot do the job, she should not be on the bench.

The state Judicial Qualifications Commission wants Lake Superior Judge Joan Kouros off the bench for not doing her job. Again. Still.

The backlog of cases in her courtroom remains, the commission argued in urging the Indiana Supreme Court to remove her. The commission urged a 30-day suspension until the high court rules.

The pattern by the judge is unacceptable and a flagrant disregard for the judicial system in Lake County.

Kouros now has 30 days to reply to the commission.

Surely, it should not take her that long to compose her reply. After all, she knows the routine. She was suspended for six months last year for the same reason -- poor management skills and behavior problems, which led to huge case backlogs and other problems.

She has blamed her problems on mental and physical ailments, for which she said she has sought treatment.

State statute says that once the commission, which prosecutes judicial misconduct, recommends dismissal, the judge must be suspended with pay pending the Supreme Court's final decision, said Meg Babcock, commission counsel.

Ultimately, it is up to the Supreme Court whether to remove her from the bench.

A tenet of the court system is that it acts in a timely, fair manner to dispense justice.

If Kouros, who was named to the bench in 1977 by then-Gov. Evan Bayh, cannot do so, she should not be on the bench.

The justices should heed what the commission said in urging the suspension.

"Her removal is necessary to protect the integrity of the judicial system and to ensure the fair and timely administration of justice in her court," the commission wrote in its eight-page recommendation.

This problem has been going on since 2001. It is time to solve the problem. After the suspension, she must be removed.