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EDITORIALS - Turn suspension into judge's dismissal
The issue: Joan Kouros
NWI Times
Sep 7, 2004
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/turn-suspension-into-judge-s-dismissal/article_e7dd7236-681f-51b0-b3c7-0d71f8ff65c8.html
The issue: Joan Kouros
Our opinion: There should be no more 'second chances' for this Lake Criminal Court judge
The Indiana Supreme Court has all the ammunition it needs to remove Lake Criminal Court Judge Joan Kouros from the bench.
In a scathing five-page brief to the high court, Meg Babcock, counsel for the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications, cited nearly four years of "futile second chances" for the judge.
It is time to say, "No more second chances."
Kouros has not been hearing cases since July 22, when the court suspended her with pay until it makes a final disposition of the matter.
Last week, the judicial commission urged her permanent removal, saying having Kouros remain a judge would erode public confidence in the judicial system. The Supreme Court must agree.
Kouros, appointed to the bench in 1997 by then-Gov. Evan Bayh, now a U.S. senator, has responded to the complaint by explaining her court backlog was caused by her obsessive-compulsive disorder. That prevented her from performing routine judicial tasks without excessive deliberation, she said.
Problems in her courtroom began four years ago when lawyers began complaining they were not getting their fees in a timely manner. In addition, jail inmate transfers were not done because Kouros was slow in completing the routine -- but necessary -- paperwork. The commission reviewed her court and found a backlog of hundreds of cases awaiting her signature on decisions made months earlier.
The judicial system tried to help her, with the Supreme Court asking Kouros' fellow judges to help her improve. She initially refused, according to the judges. The court had no choice but to issue warnings and detailed instructions on how to manage her paperwork. She also was suspended for a time last year,
Senior Judge Thomas Webber Sr. has been running the court in her absence.
The Indiana Supreme Court has more than enough ammunition to make that absence permanent.
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