10132004 - News Article - Supreme Court boots Kouros for good - Unanimous decision remove Lake County Judge Joan Kouros as of Feb. 25

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Supreme Court boots Kouros for good
Unanimous decision remove Lake County Judge Joan Kouros as of Feb. 25
NWI Times
Oct 13, 2004
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/supreme-court-boots-kouros-for-good/article_bfef7476-44b6-511f-8861-bcd65f7f4d49.html
It's final. Joan Kouros no longer is a judge, but she can still practice law.

The Indiana Supreme Court ended a five-year saga Tuesday by issuing a unanimous 18-page decision ordering Kouros' permanent removal from the Lake Criminal Court bench effective Feb. 25.

Kouros' July 22 suspension with pay continues until the February date, so she'll be eligible for the minimum judicial pension benefits, the state's highest court ruled.

"We conclude that this is appropriate given the Respondent's (Kouros') years of service and the fact that her misconduct reflects, essentially, an inability to carry out the duties of her office rather than moral culpability," the justices wrote.

The court refused to suspend Kouros' law license, even though it has the right to under Indiana law.

However, the Supreme Court also ordered Kouros to pay the costs of the proceedings. That includes any reimbursement paid to the three master judges who heard testimony in April that Kouros had not kept her word to effectively run Lake County Criminal Courtroom 3, said an attorney in the Supreme Court administration office. Other costs involved would include the transcript of that hearing, copying and investigation expenses.

T. Edward Page, president of the Lake County Bar Association, said: "More than anything else, I feel sad for her and for the profession. She tried hard to do her very best and credit for that should never be taken from her."