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Legal Ethics

Disciplinary counsel seeks judge's suspension, says morning cases are often called in midafternoon

Already facing a disciplinary case, a Cleveland municipal judge is now the subject of a motion seeking a state supreme court order temporarily suspending her both from the bench and law practice.

Although the court’s presiding judge has removed criminal cases from Judge Angela Stokes’ docket, she has been fighting that action and may regain the power to hear criminal cases if the state’s top court doesn’t act, the Northeast Ohio Media Group reports.

In a 335-page motion (PDF) filed last week, the office of disciplinary counsel lists numerous alleged incidents of inappropriate treatment of parties and others in Stokes’ courtroom and says the extraordinarily slow pace of her docket adversely impacts defendants.

For example, Stokes confiscated all cellphones of everyone in the courtroom on March 21, 2013, after two individuals were spotted using cellphones there. She has also threatened attorneys on multiple occasions with contempt, and even jail, when they tried to put objections on the record or otherwise were involved in standard behavior, the motion says.

And on Aug. 13, 2013, the judge found a defendant in contempt and put her in a holding cell without explaining why or giving the woman a chance to be heard. This occurred because the defendant pushed too hard on the courtroom door when exiting after a hearing concluded, the motion states.

“Respondent regularly continues cases, requiring defendants and their attorneys (both private and public) to make multiple appearances in her courtroom,” the motion says, citing to the record.

“She takes an inordinate amount of time to handle cases on her docket, which oftentimes results in prosecuting attorneys and public defenders having to work hours past their scheduled shifts, sometimes as late as 8 p.m., and on rare occasions even later,” the motion continues.

And it is “not uncommon for a case on respondent’s morning docket (8:30 or 9 a.m.) to be called in the mid- or late afternoon or sometimes not at all, thus requiring defendants (and their attorneys) to return and appear the following day. …

“Due to the extraordinary amount of time it takes to handle a case in respondent’s courtroom, it has been difficult for the Cleveland Municipal Court to find private attorneys who will accept a court appointment when the public defender has a conflict.”

Stokes has been on the bench since 1995.

Related coverage:

ABAJournal.com: “Disciplinary counsel calls for mental exam of sitting municipal judge”